


Killing Me Softly

by MCMoore



Category: The Young and the Restless
Genre: F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Inspired by Music, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Lesbian Character, Lesbian Sex, Messa - Freeform, Teriah - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-28
Updated: 2019-03-20
Packaged: 2019-09-29 12:40:15
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 32,687
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17203574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MCMoore/pseuds/MCMoore
Summary: Mariah works for Devon at the Hamilton-Winters Group as an assistant and music scout.Tessa is a singer/songwriter playing dive bars.What happens when the music brings them together? Will it also tear them apart?





	1. Two-Drink Minimum

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by a writing prompt provided by @OpusOne1996. My number 2 fan!

 

 

Mariah sat down at her desk at Hamilton-Winters Group, running through her daily to-do list. Her emails had been cleared when she first walked in, she had set up a couple of appointment for Devon, her boss, and was now going to transfer some YouTube videos to a thumb drive for Devon to look at when he got time. Mariah had been scouting talent for Devon’s music label for a few months now and he seemed to really like her ear for music.

Scanning the videos she had selected, she moved them to the thumb drive and hit save. Mariah knew it would take a couple of minutes, so she went to freshen up her coffee and start a new pot before the boss got back from the studio. There was not a lot to do on this day, as a lot of Devon’s time was being taken up by planning his upcoming wedding to Hilary Curtis. Mariah was happy for them both. She liked the idea of finding love, but she doubted she would ever be that lucky.

Sitting back down at her desk, she was happy to see her files had transferred without problem. She knew that Devon would not have a lot of time to watch them, but if they were available, he would try.

“Hey.” Devon said as he pushed through the door. “Can you give me a hand with these?”

Devon was carrying two boxes and his briefcase, all while juggling a to go cup of Crimson Lights coffee. Mariah took the boxes from him and sat them on the table.

“What is all this?” She asked. “We weren’t expecting a delivery, were we?”

“No, these are the supplies for the candy gift boxes for the wedding. Hilary asked if I could help out with them, meaning if you could do them for me.” Devon laughed. Hilary was always pushing stuff onto Mariah’s plate, it was almost like she thought she was her boss.

“Anything for you boss.” Mariah took the boxes to her desk and opened them.

“She included two that she did, so you could copy them…exactly.” Devon sat down at his desk. “I know you will do a great job, and I hate to ask you to do it, but I need all the help I can get.”

“You know I don’t mind helping, any way I can.” Mariah would not have felt so generous if Hilary had asked her directly. The two women on more than one occasion had bumped heads. “So, I have a thumb drive with some new artist videos on it. I thought you might want to check them out if you have time.”

“Thanks.” Devon looked up. “I actually need you to go scout some talent for me tonight, if you don’t have plans.”

“Yeah, you know that isn’t a problem. I haven’t had plans for a while.” Mariah had been single for several months now. Not really finding anyone interesting enough to bring her out of her singledom. “What do you have for me?”

“This singer song writer performing down at the Wet Whistle. The bar is not that great, but I hear she is new and fresh.” Devon reached into his briefcase and pulled out a credit card. “They have a two-drink minimum, so you will need to put it on the company tab. If she is good, buy her a drink.”

“No problem boss.” Mariah started folding the small boxes that would hold the candy for the wedding.

The two worked in silence for a little while, Devon making phone calls and Mariah folding and filling tiny boxes with assorted chocolates wrapped in the pastel colors Hilary had chosen for her wedding. Mariah took a break around noon, running downstairs to pick up lunch for her and Devon. He was due back in the studio after lunch, which meant he would be gone the rest of the afternoon.

After they ate, Mariah finished up the candy boxes and packed them all up to be returned to Hilary. She went through her emails and got everything ready for the next day. Leaving a little early, since she would need to go home and get ready to make it to the venue, Mariah locked up the office and headed home.

She had no idea what she would wear to a dive bar in Genoa City. She couldn’t remember ever going to the Wet Whistle, though she did know where it was. Leaning more to the casually hip rocker vibe, Mariah chose a tight pair of black jeans, with a grey low-cut V-neck t-shirt with a faded logo for Martin guitars. She had picked it up to go to a punk concert that she had never made it to. She applied her make up lightly, knowing the lighting would not be conducive to seeing people’s faces, but made sure to give herself a nice smoky eye look, because she loved the way it played off her honey colored eyes. She chose a dark red lipstick, almost burgundy to set off her look. Black leather ankle boots, with a heel made her appear almost 5’7” instead of the 5’5” she was. Mariah added silver dangly earrings and a long silver chain that she doubled over to make two lengths to complete her look.

Standing back in the mirror, she thought she looked like she was trying to hard. But she decided it would have to do. Grabbing her purse, Mariah headed out, determined to get to the bar to get a good seat.

Arriving at the Wet Whistle, Mariah parked on the street and made her way inside. The dimly lit bar wasn’t very big. The tables where scattered throughout, with a bar along the front wall close to the door and a small stage on the back wall next to the restrooms. There was a pool table and dart board in a small off shoot of the main room, that looked to be occupied by several couples laughing and drinking pitchers of beer.  Mariah spotted a raven-haired woman setting up equipment on the stage, a guitar leaning on a stand nearby.

“I’ll have a glass of Merlot.” Mariah said as she approached the bar. The bartender laughed.

“We have a house red and a house white, which will it be?” The woman smiled.

“Red, please. And can you point out Tessa Porter, the musician?” Mariah asked, curious if the singer was already among the small crowd gathered here.

As she poured wine from a green unlabeled bottle, the bartender haphazardly pointed to the stage. “She is setting up. That’ll be four dollars.”

Mariah reached in her purse and pulled out the credit card. “I’ll need to start a tab.”

The bartender nodded as she took the card. Mariah found her way to a table to the left of the stage, not to close to the bathroom but still close enough to the stage that she could get a good shot if she needed to take any pictures or video. As she was getting situated, the musician stepped up to the mic, tapping it a couple of times to see if it was on.

“Check, one two, one two.” Mariah’s head snapped up to the stage as the dark-haired woman spoke.

Her eyes fell upon the most beautiful green eyes she had ever seen. They sparkled in the stage lights, a smile alighted a perfect pair of ruby lips, turned up slightly in a smile. The woman was tall, her legs seemingly stretching from the floor clear up to the ceiling, but they only found their way to a beautifully toned pair of hips. Mariah shook her head, her mind lingering longer on the musician’s hips than she had expected. Suddenly, she spoke again

“Thank you for coming out to the Wet Whistle. I’m Tessa Porter. I’ll be performing some covers and a couple of original songs. I hope you enjoy and remember there is a two-drink minimum.”

Mariah smiled, as Tessa began to sing

_Strumming my pain with his fingers_ __  
Singing my life with his words  
Killing me softly with his song  
Killing me softly with his song  
Telling my whole life with his words  
Killing me softly with his song

The singer’s voice floated through the bar, unaccompanied by any instrument. Mariah couldn’t believe how beautiful it was. The notes floated to her ears, causing her heart to flutter. Then Tessa began to play, the stings of the guitar bending to her will.

_I heard he sang a good song, I heard he had a style_ __  
And so I came to see him to listen for a while  
And there he was this young boy, a stranger to my eyes

The beautiful dark-haired musician nimbly picked the notes from her guitar stings as if she were gently picking flowers for a bouquet. Each note a beautiful flower only marveled by the sweet sultry tone of her voice. Mariah was mesmerized by it all. The emotion in her face spoke to Mariah’s heart in way she had never felt before. She was captivated. Then it happened, as Mariah sat admiring her, Tessa turned and made eye contact with her. The words to the song making Mariah blush, she could not look away, she sat listening and staring into those green eyes.

_I felt all flushed with fever, embarrassed by the crowd_ __  
I felt he found my letters and read each one out loud  
I prayed that he would finish but he just kept right on  
Strumming my pain with his fingers

As she sang, Tessa continued to stare at Mariah, as if she were singing specifically to her. The moment seemed to last a lifetime, both women lost in the song. Then without warning, it was over. A light smattering of applause cut through Mariah’s thoughts as the musician spoke again.

“Thank you. I thought I might perform one of my originals and then move on to one of Tracy’s favorites, Girl Crush. I see you Tracy, don’t try and hide. For those of you who don’t know who Tracy is, she is the bartender, make sure and tip her well folks. She controls the liquor.” The sound of the Tessa’s laughter enveloped Mariah like a warm summer breeze. Her fingers began to work their magic again.

Realizing this was the perfect opportunity to capture a clip for Devon, Mariah reached for her phone. She turned off the flash and began recording as the musician played what was a catchy tune that Mariah had never heard before. Hypnotized by the way Tessa moved, her body swaying to the music as her voice danced a beautiful ballet with the strings of the guitar, Mariah couldn’t explain what was going on inside of her mind, or her heart.

After several more songs, some completely recognizable and others foreign and just as spectacular, Tessa closed the set and began packing up her guitar and the equipment. Mariah sat and watched, waiting for an opportunity to introduce herself.

As Tessa stepped off the stage, guitar case in hand, Mariah made her move. She felt an unaccustomed amount of nervousness approaching this striking woman. Her palms were a little sweaty and her head was spinning with how best to address the conversation. Mariah knew only one thing, she needed to talk to this woman. Like there was a deep yearning to sit and talk with her.

“Excuse me.” Mariah began. “Mariah Copeland, with Hamilton-Winters Group. I was wondering if I could buy you a drink.”

“I don’t date patrons, I’m sorry.” Tessa said, not looking up.

“Oh, um…” Mariah stumbled as she was caught off guard with the implication that she was trying to pick up this woman. “I actually don’t date women. I was more interested in discussing your music.”

Tessa looked up, a smile spreading across her face as she took in the woman standing before you.

“Well that is too bad.” Tessa said, her mouth turning up in a crooked little grin as her eyes began to sparkle. “I might have just broken my own rule for you.”

Mariah blushed, her hair falling into her face as she looked down and away from the mesmerizing eyes staring at her now.

“I actually work for Devon Hamilton.” Mariah tried to refocus the conversation back to the task at hand. “He has a record label and asked me to come down here and scout you.”

“Really? And what do you think?” Tessa shifted her guitar to her other hand, as she reached up and pushed Mariah’s hair behind her ear. Mariah’s breath caught in her chest, as Tessa’s fingers lingered a moment more upon her cheek. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have done that. I am not sure why I did.”

“No, that was fine.” Mariah stopped talking her eyes meeting Tessa’s as they smiled at each other. “I actually loved your set. I hope you don’t mind, but I recorded a bit of it to take back to Devon. Can I actually buy you that drink now?”

“Yes, you may.” Tessa pointed to the bar, allowing Mariah to walk in front of her so she could take in the full beauty of the red-haired woman. Her hips were round and beautiful, her thighs strong, and her hair danced in the light like a fire on a dark cold night, inviting you in to warm you. Tessa had always dated women, well at least as soon as she was able to get out from under the tyranny of her father’s house. This woman was captivating and didn’t seem to realize it, which made her even more attractive.

“What will you have?” Mariah turned and asked Tessa.

“Whiskey, neat.” Tessa said to Tracy the bartender.

“I’ll have another wine.” Mariah added, as Tessa brushed up against her. Mariah’s heart began to race.

“I like your shirt, do you play?” Tessa reached out and let her fingers dance across the front of Mariah’s shirt. Mariah shivered with the touch.

“What? Oh, no. I just loved the shirt.” Mariah looked down as Tessa’s fingers lingered for a moment.

“Too bad, we could have started a band.” Tessa laughed, pulling her hand back and pushing her hair behind her ear. Mariah swooned, that had never happened before.

“Are you from here?” Mariah asked, changing the subject.

“No, Chicago. I’ve been here about four months.” Tessa smiled and asked. “How about you?”

“That is a long story, but no, not originally. I lived here about five years.” Mariah turned back to the bar as Tracy sat their drinks down. “Can we sit for a bit, and talk?”

Tessa nodded and led Mariah to a table out of the way, where they could talk without the bustle of the bar intruding. Sitting down, Mariah looked up, surprised to see Tessa staring back at her with a smile. Mariah couldn’t help but smile back, her mouth twisting up against her will. She had no idea what was going on, but she felt a warm tingly feeling growing in her chest.

“So, do you produce music?” Tessa sipped her whiskey, her eyes never moving from Mariah’s.

“Oh, no. I am Devon’s assistant. Well more than that. I scout talent and make suggestions, but I am his assistant by title.” Mariah blushed. “He found you though, I am sorry to say.”

“So, you don’t like my music?” Tessa smiled, as the blush in Mariah’s cheeks intensified.

“No, I love your music. Your voice is unlike anything I’ve ever heard before. I was enthralled the whole set. You have a commanding presence on the stage.” Mariah took a drink trying to calm her nerves. “How long have you been performing?”

“My whole life really. But I really started when I left home. So about 9 years.” Tessa’s eyes betrayed her smile. The darkness that settled over them indicated a haunted past. Mariah’s heart hurt for her.

“How old are you?” Mariah blurted out. “I’m sorry, that sounded forward, its just you don’t seem that old.”

Tessa laughed, the sound warmed Mariah’s soul. “I’m twenty-five.”

“You left home at sixteen?” Mariah couldn’t believe her mouth kept betraying her. “I’m sorry…again. You don’t have to answer that.”

“It’s okay.” Tessa leaned forward, resting her arms on the table, her hands flat against the wooden surface. “I couldn’t stay. It was a toxic environment and to survive, I had to leave. My father…”

Mariah reached out and covered Tessa’s hand with her own, rubbing her thumb along the musician’s knuckles.

“I’m sorry.” Her eyes mirroring the pain in Tessa’s, Mariah could feel the hurt and sorrow being felt by woman she had just met. “I didn’t mean to pry.”

“I am not sure why, but I don’t mind telling you.” Tessa turned her hand over, underneath Mariah’s allowing their palms to touch. “You have this weird effect on me.”

The sensation in Mariah’s hands was surprising, it was like all her nerves where longing for water and Tessa was a river she could drink from. It was happiness in a touch. Warm and comforting, while igniting a flame within her that Mariah had never experienced before.

Pulling her hand back, Mariah couldn’t think. She had no idea what she was feeling. What she was experiencing.

“So, I’m going to show your clips to Devon, and hopefully he will agree with me.” Mariah downed her wine and picked up her purse. “I should probably get going, I have an early morning tomorrow.”

Mariah stood up, confused by everything that had happened. She didn’t want to leave, she wanted to listen to Tessa talk for hours. She just didn’t know why that was, and it was overwhelming. Tessa stood up and grabbed her guitar case.

“I’ll walk you out.” Tessa moved around the table. Mariah watched, hypnotized by the woman’s body.

“I’ll be fine.” Mariah finally managed to say, as she looked up to find Tessa’s eyes locked on her.

“I’m heading out anyways.” Tessa smiled, exciting the fire to ignite in Mariah once more.

“Okay.” Mariah stopped at the bar and paid the tab, sliding the credit card into her purse.

As they turned to go, Tessa slid her hand into the small of Mariah’s back, guiding her towards the door. Mariah felt comfortable…safe, but she also felt a passion she didn’t not understand. As they exited the bar, Tessa’s hand dropped from Mariah’s back. Mariah felt a coldness settle in where the warmth of Tessa’s hand had been.

“I’m over here.” Mariah pointed to her car parked on the curb. The two women covered the distance to the car at a slow pace, neither wanting to rush it. “I hope to see you again.”

“Well maybe we should exchange contact information.” Tessa tilted her head and smiled. “In case Devon or you need to get a hold of me.”

“Yeah, that would be good.” Mariah took out a card she had in her purse. “This is my card; the office number is on there.” Mariah flipped it over and grabbed a pen. She scribbled her cell number on the back. “Here is my cell in case you can’t reach me at the office.”

Tessa sat down her guitar case and took the pen from Mariah’s hand, turning her hand over. Letting her fingers glide across Mariah’s wrist, she scribbled out her number where the warmth of her fingers had just been, writing her name above it.

“There, you can put that in your phone when you get a chance.” Tessa handed Mariah the pen and picked up her guitar case. “I hope to hear from you soon.”

“Okay.” Mariah whispered, unable to make any other coherent words come forth from her mouth.

Tessa giggled, and walked off down the street. Mariah watched, unable to take her eyes off the beautiful raven-haired musician. She had no idea what had just happened, but she was sure it was amazing, at least it felt that way.


	2. Encore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mariah can't get Tessa out of her head, and Hilary suspects something is up. Will Mariah fall for the songstress or is it just a crush?

 

Getting to the office the next morning, Mariah was still reeling from the night before. Her mind had been a constant state of panic and curiosity regarding Tessa. On one hand, the woman was captivating, beautiful, funny, and talented. On the other hand, she was a woman. Not that she had a problem with her being a woman, it was just that she had never been attracted to one before. And she was attracted to Tessa.

Mariah was so lost in her thoughts, she didn’t even realize Devon and Hilary had walked in the door. She smiled as she thought about Tessa touching her shirt, her wrist, or the way she put her hand on Mariah’s lower back. All simple gestures, that had ignited a new desire within Mariah.

“Mariah?” Devon raised his voice since Mariah had not heard him the first time he had spoken.

“Oh, sorry I didn’t hear you come in.” Mariah blushed, her mind still fixated on Tessa’s hands.

“It’s okay, I just asked how last night went.” Devon sat his briefcase down on his desk, as Hilary shifted uncomfortably beside him.

“Oh, it was great. She is amazing. Her guitar work is just beautiful, and her voice is edgy but sweet.” Mariah remembered how Tessa smiled at her from the stage as she sang. “She has stage presence, makes you feel like she is singing just to you.”

“Well you sound like you have a crush.” Hilary finally piped up, using the opportunity to take a jab at Mariah.

“I…” Pausing to gather her thoughts, Mariah cleared her head of Tessa’s image.

“Well, that proves my point.” Hilary scoffed.

“I have a video. I’ll airdrop it to your phone Devon.” Mariah, refusing to engage with Hilary, pulled out her phone and began sending Devon the video.

“I am here for the candy boxes. Did you finish them?” Hilary with her hands on her hips, was still trying to get a rise out of Mariah. Without words, Mariah pointed to the two boxes sitting on the work table. “I hope you followed the instructions I sent.”

“I’m sure they are perfect Hilary.” Devon interjected.

“It’s not like I could mess up putting together the boxes and dropping candy in them.” Mariah smiled at Hilary. “But I’m sure you will find something.”

Hilary turned to Mariah, a look of smugness on her face. “Oh, I’m going to need you to pick up the place cards from the printers today. You will also need to go through them and make sure there are no errors.”

Mariah smiled, knowing when to pick her battles. “Are they ready now, because I need to run a couple of other errands this morning and the printers is on my route?”

With a huff, Hilary looked at the boxes. She needed to prove a point, so she made her next play for superiority. “Devon, I need some help, and I know you are really busy this morning.”

“Mariah, do you mind helping her get the boxes down to her car?” Devon smiled at Mariah begging her to not be too snarky and start something that he would eventually pay for.

Mariah got up and picked up the boxes off the table. “I’m going to go ahead and run to the printers and do the rest of my errands.”

Devon nodded as the women made their way out of the office.

 

Mariah made it back to the office before lunch, having completed all the tasks she had set out to accomplish including picking up the wedding place cards. Devon sat at his desk, shuffling through papers and listening to music on his computer.

“I see you got to the music I prepared for you yesterday.” Mariah giggled. “I’m sorry about earlier, boss.”

“It’s okay, she is under a lot of stress, so maybe go a little easier on her.” Devon laughed, knowing his soon to be wife was difficult on the best of days.

“Did you have a chance to get to the video I sent.” Mariah said, as she checked her phone. “I really believe Tessa is a good fit for you.”

“You seem to really like her.” Devon said, picking up his phone and scrolling to the video in question.

As he pushed play, Tessa voice filled the office, causing a giant smile to tug at Mariah’s lips. Even with a poor-quality phone video, the singer’s sultry voice warmed Mariah’s soul. Devon listened to the whole video, never taking his eyes off the screen. After the song stopped, he sat his phone down and turned to Mariah.

“You are right, she has a presence.” Smiling, he continued. “She seemed to really like you. She spent more than half the song just singing to you. Had you talked to her beforehand? Or did she just connect with you from the stage?”

“I didn’t get to talk to her till after the show. There weren’t too many people there, and I’m pretty sure I was the only one not drunk or playing pool.” Mariah blushed. “I did talk to her afterwards.”

“Well, after the honeymoon, I’m going to sign her.” Devon stood up, gathering his papers and putting them in his briefcase. “I need to run by the studio and then I’m going home for the evening. I know we talked about it, but I just wanted to reiterate how much I appreciate the help you are giving to me and Hilary with our wedding. I also want you to know that I consider you more than just an employee. You have always been a great friend to me. So, thank you.”

“Are you nervous?” Mariah looked at Devon, her eyes looking for any sign of him having doubts. “I mean there is still two days to change your mind.”

“I’m not changing my mind. I’m not nervous either. I mean we have done this before.” Devon laughed. “I never thought we would do it again, but sometimes you just need a little time to grow to get things right. You also know when something is right, there are signs, feelings that can’t be denied...and this is right.”

Mariah’s heart skipped a beat as she thought about Tessa and the feelings she had when they were together. She had never felt so connected to someone, so attracted to someone before. She felt her cheeks blushing. She hid her face and began checking the cards as Devon made his way out of the office.

 

The next couple of days flew by and the wedding went off without a hitch. Mariah returned to the office the next week, manning the phones and catching up on emails, she kept herself busy. Her mind drifted to Tessa often and by Thursday, she felt she had to see her again. She had began following Tessa on Twitter, YouTube and Instagram. She figured it was part of her job to keep up to date on Tessa’s performances and social presence. So, when Tessa tweeted that she would be performing that night at the Wet Whistle, Mariah decided she needed to see her again.

Finishing up early, Mariah decided she would head out to the bar and catch Tessa’s set. Digging through her closet, she came across a black pair of leather pants she had bought on a lark. She had never actually worn them, because she felt very self-conscious in them. Feeling a little bit like shaking up her life, Mariah slipped into the leather pants. Standing in just her bra and pants in front of her full length mirror, Mariah turned and was surprised at how good her ass actually looked. The black leather hugged every curve, showing off all the work Mariah had been putting in at the gym.

Finding a maroon lace camisole that she would top with black tailored blazer, Mariah tucked the camisole in and slid into the jacket. The outfit was drawn together by a the long chain necklace with a single strand of chain that dangled down to the top of her leather pants. Giving her hair a little volume, Mariah used a curl enhancer and gave herself a few more curls with her curling iron. Adding a darker red to her lips, Mariah stood back and took herself in. She had never had a lot of confidence in her looks, but the idea of seeing Tessa again made her feel like being bold.

Making her way downtown to the Wet Whistle, Mariah could feel the nervousness setting in. She though for a moment about turning around and going home, but ultimately her curiosity got the better of her. She had to see Tessa. She needed to see Tessa. The feeling that had been growing inside of her for the past week were akin to a crush, and she was way too old to be getting crushes.

Walking into the bar, Tessa was already on stage singing. Her voice was warm and inviting, Mariah immediately felt her body reacting.

“Vodka tonic with a lime please.” Mariah ordered a drink from Tracy, the bartender.

“Hey I remember you, wine girl?” Tracy smiled. “I see you have come back to visit our little song bird.”

“Its for work.” Mariah lied. “My boss is thinking about signing her to his record label.”

“Yeah, well good for Tess.” Tracy handed Mariah her drink, as Mariah handed her a credit card.

“You want to open a tab?” Tracy asked.

“Yes.” Mariah took her drink and found a shadowy corner to sit in.

Tonight she just wanted to watch Tessa and see how she interreacted with other people from the stage. Tessa was covering the Blondie song Maria, slowing it down, her fingers working their magic on the strings. Mariah’s heart hung on every word as Tessa’s voice floated across the bar to her.

_Ooh, don't you wanna break her?  
Ooh, don't you wanna take her home?_

_She walks like she don't care_  
You wanna take her everywhere  
Ooh, it makes you wanna cry

As the song finished up, Mariah finished her first drink. She hadn’t even realized she had been drinking so fast, the song had her distracted. She got up and went to the bar, requesting another vodka tonic. Tessa continued to play behind her.

Mariah took her drink back to the table and took out her phone. She began filming video of Tessa. After capturing a couple of the songs from Tessa’s set, Mariah slipped her phone back in her purse. The other video she had taken the week before had been watched by her at least two dozen times, and she wanted more.

It wasn’t long before Tessa was done, and Mariah sat in her corner trying to be invisible. Tessa packed up her gear and headed to the bar. Mariah ducked her head, pulling her phone back out and pretending to check her messages. She hoped that Tessa would leave, and she could pay her tab and slip out after.

“Hey there.” Tessa’s voice cut through Mariah’s façade, her head snapping up to the dark haired musician smiling at her. “I didn’t see you come in.”

“I just slipped in to catch a few more songs for my boss.” Mariah lied again. “He liked the first video, and wanted to see more.”

“Well anything that gets you down here sounds good to me.” Winking at Mariah, Tessa smiled a half smile that sent shivers throughout Mariah’s body. Mariah finished her drink, pushing her chair back to leave.

“Well I should be heading home. Work early in the morning.” Mariah actually had the next day off, since Devon would be back from his honeymoon the following Monday, he had given her a three day weekend.

“Too bad, I was hoping you might stay for one more drink.” Tessa almost purred as she spoke. “I ordered you another drink, and I thought we might could discuss you watching me walk away the other night.”

“What?” Mariah’s cheeks felt warm as the color rose in her face. “I was…”

“You look amazing tonight. I love you in those pants, by the way.” Tessa reached out and grabbed the bottom of Mariah’s chain, her fingers brushing against Mariah’s stomach, starting a storm of butterflies fluttering inside of her. “This really pulls the outfit together, and draws a person’s attention to the places that matter.”

Tessa’s fingers worked their way up the chain to the spot where it split off into two separate chains, right between Mariah’s breasts. Letting go of the chain, Tessa turned and walked to the bar. She picked up the drinks she had ordered and returned to the table. Mariah was still standing staring at her when she returned.

“Sit, have one drink with me.” Tessa sat the drinks down and took a seat at the table.

“I have to go.” Mariah declared as she rushed out of the bar, not looking back. She walked the half a block to her car, and dropped her keys as she got to the door.

“Mariah!” Tessa shouted as she ran up. “You forgot your credit card.”

Mariah stood up just as Tessa got to the curb, credit card in hand. Not wanting to seem ungrateful, Mariah came around the car, meeting Tessa at the hood.

“Thank you. I don’t know what I was thinking.” Mariah reached to take the card. “I didn’t sign for my drinks.”

“I told Tracy I’d take care of it.” Tessa retorted. “I mean, you will buy me a drink someday.”

“Was that a question or a statement?” Mariah looked up into Tessa’s sparkling green eyes. She really didn’t care if it was either, she just had an overwhelming urge to find out if those beautiful red lips were as soft as she imagined.

Licking her lips, she let her fingers dance across Tessa’s hand, lingering a little longer than neccessary. Tessa’s smile grew even bigger, as Mariah took a step closer, her finger’s wrapping around Tessa’s wrist, pulling her closer.

“I really should go.” Mariah whispered, her mouth only wanting to taste the lips her eyes couldn’t seem to look away from.

Without hesitation, Mariah’s free hand slipped up into Tessa’s hair. Mariah’s lips found their way to Tessa’s, pausing briefly before crashing into them. The kiss was soft, but the intent that was felt was much more than any passion Mariah had ever felt. She let her tongue slip through the barrier of lips and find sanctuary within Tessa’s mouth. There was no struggle for control, as Tessa let Mariah have her way with her lips. Mariah, her whole body alit with passion and desire, pulled back, her eyes locking with Tessa’s.

What had she done? She had kissed Tessa, and it was amazing. She needed to think, and there was no way that was going to happen in this woman’s presence.

“I’m sorry, I have to go.” Mariah turned credit card in hand and unlocked her car door.

Tessa stood staring as the red-head once again ran away. She stepped back, as Mariah drove off down the street, wondering what had just happened.

Speeding down the street, Mariah’s head was filled with soft lips and warm tingly sensations. She couldn’t believe she had just kissed Tessa. She was excited, confused, and elated all at once. Concentrating on her driving, she put the thoughts out of her head. She just needed some time. Time to figure out what she was doing and if this was what she thought it might be. The beginning of something amazing.


	3. Sign Me Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Devon is back from his honeymoon and he has brought in a new artist to sing on with HWG.

 

Mariah had spent the weekend after her kissing encounter with Tessa distracting herself with family. Entertaining Faith and Christian with games and movies, having dinner with the whole family around the table. By the time she was back at work on Monday she felt a little more like herself. Completing daily tasks and getting Devon caught up on all the emails, phone calls and office gossip that he had missed, she fought to keep her mind off the dark-haired musician.

Devon hadn’t mentioned Tessa and Mariah was not ready to bring her up. She just needed a few days to figure out what was going on in her mind…and her heart.

So it was a big surprise when Tessa walked into the office Wednesday morning, a curious smile on her face.

“What are you doing here?” Mariah said a little harsher than she had intended.

“Devon told me to come in after he came to see me perform last night.” Tessa walked over to Mariah’s desk where she set with a dumbfounded look on her face. “He didn’t tell you he was coming to see me?”

“No, he didn’t have you on the schedule. He does that sometimes though, goes and sees musicians and bands.”  Mariah shifted some papers on her desk, trying to keep her hands busy. “You can have a seat he will be here shortly I’m sure.”

Tessa slid up on the corner of Mariah’s desk, her leg dangling only inches away from where Mariah’s bare legs jutted out from under her short dress. Mariah watched that leg, swinging back and forth, wanting to reach out and slide her hand up the denim that covered the thin muscular limb.

“I hadn’t meant for you to sit on my desk, there are several chairs in this office and a couch for that matter. I have to work here.” Mariah shifted papers out from under Tessa’s rear end, her fingers pushing against the roundness trying to not tear any of them. “Do you mind?’

Tessa’s smile shifted to a frown, her eyes darkened. “Did I do something?”

Mariah’s heart hurt at the sight of Tessa struggling to understand why Mariah was angry. Though if Mariah was being honest with herself, it wasn’t anger, but frustration that painted the tone of her voice. She hadn’t had time to prepare for Tessa’s arrival. Time to adjust to the idea that she would be seeing her around the office. Or time to figure out what she might want from this beautiful woman sitting before her now.

“I’m sorry. I just…” Mariah paused her mouth refusing to form the words her mind was trying to discern.

“I hadn’t meant to upset you.” Tessa reached out and touched Mariah’s face. “I can go downstairs and wait.”

Tessa shifted to stand, but Mariah’s hand slid to the leg she had just recently been admiring. Her hand rested there as the two women’s eyes met.

“I don’t want you to go.” Mariah let her hand remain on Tessa’s leg. Tessa brought her hand to rest on top of Mariah’s. As they sat staring at each other, not saying a word, they were unaware of Devon who was standing in the door watching the interaction between the two women. He smiled and cleared his throat.

Mariah jumped, her hand flying up to her hair, moving it behind her ear, a blush rising to her cheeks.

“Devon.” Mariah shouted, louder than she had intended. “Tessa’s here. You didn’t tell me Tessa was coming in.”

“Yeah, I went and saw her last night. I already called legal, they should have a standard contract drawn up, should be ready in about an hour. I was going to show Tessa around, let her see the studio and the music rooms we have set up for song writing and composing. Can you pick up the contracts when they are done and meet us on the roof top?”

“Sure boss.” Mariah responded, Tessa was looking back and forth between Mariah and Devon as the exchange took place. A smile on her lips.

Devon sat his briefcase down. “Anything I need to take care of before we get started?”

“Nope we have a slow morning. You do have a couple of things this afternoon. I sent the itinerary to your phone.” Mariah picked up her phone and made sure she had sent it, which was good since she had been distracted by Tessa’s arrival and the itinerary still sat in her inbox waiting to be sent. She hit send, still not making eye contact with Devon. “Okay you should have it now.”

“You ready to go Tessa?” Devon asked.

“Sure, let’s do this.” Tessa jumped down off the desk. “See you later.” She smiled and winked at Mariah as she followed Devon out the door.

With a huge sigh of relief, Mariah leaned back in her chair. She didn’t know how much Devon had seen before he had cleared his throat, but she hoped that it wasn’t much. Not that she was embarrassed by the idea of being attracted to Tessa, but she really didn’t know what she felt. Mariah had always been a private person with her feelings. Not wanting anyone to see a crack in her façade had been a skill she had cultivated being raised in a cult. 

Trying to refocus her energies into work, Mariah pulled up her email and started going about answering them. Her mind kept flashing back to the way Tessa’s leg felt under her hand. The warm sensation that radiated through her body when she touched her. And the hypnotizing effect Tessa’s gorgeous green eyes had. Her mind would not let her concentrate, it kept replaying the kiss from the previous Thursday. The softness of Tessa’s lips, the sweet taste that Mariah couldn’t quite pinpoint. 

Finally deciding that the only way she was going to get any relief from the confusion and constant daydreams was to go after the object of her confusion. She had never had any trouble going after the men she had wanted, why would Tessa be any different. There was obviously something there. Mariah smiled, she was going to date a woman. Well, not any woman. She was going to date Tessa.

*****

Tessa looked on in awe at the equipment in the recording studio as Devon talked about production and studio time. She listened intently as he discussed her original songs and the direction he hoped to take her. Luckily, he had no intention of trying to turn her into a pop princess, Tessa had always been edgier than that. He showed her the writing lounge that he had insisted on creating for his musicians. The sound proof room had a piano, guitars, and several other instruments scattered about. There were stools and music stands, a couch with fluffy cushions, and an impressive collection of music housed in bookshelves on one end of the room.

“This is meant to be a refuge for writing. I wanted to create an environment where my musicians could create and collaborate, then be able to move right into the studio with the creations. I am hoping that at some point there will always be someone either in here or in the studio laying down tracks.” Devon was in love with music, and it showed in the pride he had in the environment he created in this space. “I want to be able to share with the world the talent that is out there, so much of it goes unnoticed because of the way the music industry works. I am hoping to change that.”

“I can tell you really care about music.” Tessa smiled at Devon as she took in the surroundings.

“Well do you think you would be interested in being a part of all of this?” Devon asked, as he took a seat on the couch, signaling for Tessa to sit as well.

“I think it would be absolutely amazing.” Tessa smiled, she couldn’t believe she was here now. “I have a bunch of songs already written. So, we can start whenever you are ready.”

“I like a couple of your originals in your set. I think they will do great with the streaming service. What we need though, is one fantastic song. A song that will bring people to your other work.” Devon shifted so he was facing Tessa. “I don’t think we have it yet. So, I’m going to bring you in to work on some new songs, and we will get the hit we need. I have faith in your talents. You have an amazing ear for catchy choruses and your guitar work is off the charts.”

Tessa felt a bit of disappointment in Devon’s words, but trusted he had her best interest at heart. She had several songs she had been working on, that she thought might do the trick. One in particular she had been stuck on for weeks, but she felt it was her best work to date.

“I appreciate all the help you can give me. And if you are willing to take a chance on me, I’m willing to sign.” Trying not to seem overly excited, Tessa sat on her hands, which right now wanted to shoot in the air in a victory celebration.

“Do you mind if I ask you something personal?” Devon’s face went serious for a moment. “You can feel free to tell me to mind my own business, but I’m very protective of my friends. Did something happen between you and Mariah?”

Tessa couldn’t help but become a little embarrassed. The display that had been in process when Devon had walked into the office was not very professional. The problem was, that when she was around Mariah, she couldn’t seem to control herself. Normally she was in control all the time. She had dated a lot of women but had always kept them at a distance. With Mariah, she didn’t want distance. She wanted to spend time with her, be close to her, and after the kiss from the other night, she wanted to kiss her again.

“I don’t know how to answer that.” Tessa shifted uncomfortably on the couch. “We kissed, just once. Then she ran away, and we haven’t talked about it since.”

“I’ve known Mariah for years, and she hasn’t, to my knowledge, ever dated a woman. I am not going to stick my nose into your business, but I don’t want Mariah to get hurt.” Devon smiled at Tessa, seeing her fear regarding this conversation. “I would never let personal life interfere with our business, but you will be around Mariah a lot, so just keep that in mind with how you proceed.”

“I don’t want to hurt her. I don’t even know what she wants.” Looking anywhere but at Devon, Tessa continued. “She is different than anyone I’ve ever met. I don’t want to hurt her. I already know that I would protect her from anything, which is weird for me. This conversation is weird for me.”

“Then let’s just agree that we will keep the personal stuff out of the office as much as possible.” Devon stood up. “Well let’s head up to the rooftop. Mariah should be there pretty soon with the contracts. If this is what you want.”

“Yes, this is what I want.” Tessa excited to sign the contract, had an extra skip in her step. 

Arriving at the roof top bar, Devon chose a table out of the way, so they could be left alone. He ordered champagne and orange juice, so they could celebrate with mimosas on this warm summer morning. Tessa watched the door for Mariah, her mind thinking about the warning Devon had given her. She decided that she would pull back. Stop flirting as much. Let Mariah find her footing.

Then the red head stepped out of the elevator and all of her thoughts turned to the firm legs jutting out from the short skirt, making their way towards her. Tessa smiled as Mariah flipped her hair out of her face, her hands full of paperwork and unable to assist. Mariah looked up and met Tessa’s eyes, a smile immediately spreading across those beautiful full lips.

“Here are the contracts.” Mariah handed Devon the folder that held Tessa’s future inside. Mariah turned to go. She stopped and turned to Tessa. “Congratulations Tessa, I’m very happy for you.”

“Stay with us and celebrate.” Devon pointed to the seat beside Tessa. “The office can survive without us for a little while.”

Mariah slid onto the bench seat next to Tessa. Her hands resting in her lap, she smiled at Tessa, their eyes locked. Devon watched the exchange, a laugh escaping his throat. Both women turned to him, as the drinks arrived. 

“So, let’s sign these first.” Devon opened the folder, handing Tessa a copy. “Read it over, it is a standard agreement, which allows you to retain the publishing rights to your music. If we record a song, the song will go into the HWG portfolio which you will retain a forty-nine percent publishing rights to. With an option to buy out the rights at a standard cost determined by the market value of the song.”

Tessa’s head was spinning. She blinked several times and stared at the contract. Mariah reached out and took the contract from Tessa’s hand. She opened it to the page in which copyrights were discussed.

“See, you are here, and this is your rights to your songs, here is what happens if you record it. The songs that you don’t record will be optioned into the portfolio to be sold or used for other artists, but you will retain the larger percentage of ownership on those songs. HWG will retain the forty-nine percent ownership. Then…” Mariah looked at Tessa who had the look of someone who was about to run. “Do you need some time?”

Tessa exhaled. “No, I think I’m fine.” She turned to Mariah. “Do you trust the contracts?”

“I do.” Mariah put her hand on Tessa’s knee. “Devon is a good guy, he is going to look out for your interest as well as his own.”

“Then let’s sign.” Tessa turned to Devon who handed her a pen. She signed the flagged pages on both sets of contracts and handed them back to Devon. He signed them and handed a copy back to Tessa.

“Let’s celebrate. Mimosa or Champagne?” Devon opened the bottle, the pop causing Mariah to jump.

Simultaneously the woman responded. “Mimosa.” 

Mariah moved to pour orange juice into the glasses, as Devon topped them off with Champagne. Dispersing the glasses, they settled down into an easy report discussing Tessa’s music and where Devon saw it going. Devon’s phone buzzed, and he stepped away to take a call leaving the women alone for the first time since earlier.

“Are you okay?” Mariah asked Tessa who had started to relax a little with a few sips of her mimosa.

“Yes, thank you. I was more overwhelmed than I had expected. You helped ease that.” Tessa turned and placed her hand on Mariah’s free hand which sat in her lap. “I wanted to apologize for earlier. I feel like I might have come on too strong. This is where you work, and I was a little too much.”

“It is okay Tess.” Mariah smiled.

“You called me Tess.” Tessa looked surprised.

“I’m sorry.” Mariah apologized.

“No.” Tessa smiled, her eyes lighting up. “I like it.”

Devon returned, taking note of the woman sitting closely, and Tessa’s hand on Mariah’s.

“I need to go, but I thought you might stay here, finish the champagne.” Devon picked up the contracts from the table. “You should order some lunch. I’ll see you after lunch Mariah.”

Mariah smiled, she saw a glint in Devon’s eye that said he knew something was going on between the two women.

“Thank you.” Tessa removed her hand from Mariah’s, shaking Devon’s hand as he turned to go. 

“I’ll see you tomorrow in the writer’s lounge to go through your songs.” Devon left, the two women sat in silence for a moment.

“We should order something to eat, this champagne will go straight to my head.” Mariah waved over the waiter, who she asked to bring them menus. “I kind of wanted to ask you something.”

“Sure, what is it?” Tessa took a sip of her drink and focused on Mariah.

“Well…” Mariah paused, she had never asked anyone out before. She didn’t even know where to start. “Well I was wondering if you are seeing anyone right now?”

“Nope.” Tessa’s eyes mischievously sparkled, she had an idea where this might be going. She thought about helping Mariah out, but the red head was incredibly cute when she blushed. “I had casually gone out with a couple of girls, but I haven’t been seeing anyone seriously.”

“Oh.” Mariah stumbled on her words. She didn’t know what that meant. Was she interested or not? 

“I said had. How about you, are you seeing anyone?” Tessa grinned so that only half of her mouth went up all the way. The cute little lines that the smile created on her face could not really be described as dimples, but they increased Mariah’s heart rate just the same.

“No!” Mariah exclaimed. “I have really bad luck with dating. I’ve been single for a while now.”

The girls ordered lunch, both opting for burgers to soak up the champagne. Mariah could already feel her head getting light with bubbles.

“So, would you like to change that?” Tessa asked as the waiter left them alone again.

“Change what?” Mariah asked, unaware of where the conversation had sprung from.

“Would you like to change you luck with dating?” Smiling, Tessa let her hand push back a piece of hair that had found its way into Mariah’s face. After tucking it safely behind her ear, Tessa’s fingers drifted across her cheek, leaving a red-hot path of confusion in its wake.

“Do you have some pointers?” Not realizing what Tessa was getting at.

Tessa laughed, realizing that Mariah really was not getting that she was being asked out. She smiled at the beautiful woman sitting beside her who was completely unaware of the effect she had on people.

“You really are beautiful.” Tessa couldn’t help herself. She needed to let Mariah know that she was an amazing woman. 

“Oh.” Mariah blushed. “OH!” Finally catching on that Tessa was asking her out, Mariah ducked her head letting her hair fall over her rapidly reddening cheeks. “You want to go on a date?”

“I thought you would never ask.” Tessa quipped. “I’d love to go on a date with you. How about Tomorrow night?”

“I…” Mariah realized this was what she wanted. She had already decided that she was going to do when she came up here. “Tomorrow night would be perfect. Do you want to meet somewhere, or should I pick you up?”

It was Tessa’s turn to be surprised. Mariah had only faltered for a second when Tessa had made the implication that Mariah had asked her out. Now she was making plans.

“Well someone found their sea legs.” Tessa laughed, and reached out to take Mariah’s hand. “I would love to go out with you tomorrow night. Why don’t you pick me up around seven?” 

“Text me your address, you have my number.” Mariah was gaining more confidence as the conversation moved along. “Do you want me to plan it? Or do you want to plan it together?”

“Surprise me. I’m interested to see what Mariah Copeland’s first date with a woman will look like.” Mariah’s cheeks flushed again as Tessa called her out. “Unless I am not your first.”

“No, you are definitely my first.” Mariah shifted uneasily under Tessa’s gaze. “Is that okay?”

“Of course, it’s okay. I am honored and incredibly excited.” Tessa squeezed Mariah’s hand. “I want you to be comfortable, so let’s do something casual. You can plan it, but maybe we can just keep it simple this first date. So, you don’t get to stressed.”

“I like that idea. For now, let’s have lunch, finish the champagne and then I can get back to work.” Mariah removed her hand from Tessa’s as the waiter brought their burgers. 

The two women enjoyed a comfortable comradery as they finished their lunch. They talked with ease, and before long it was time for Mariah to head back to the office. They both walked to the elevator, Tessa headed home, and Mariah to the HWG floor of the building.

They stepped into the elevator alone, Mariah reaching across Tessa to select her floor. Tessa pushed the ground floor button, bringing the two women face to face, with only a few inches between them. 

“Can I kiss you?” Tessa asked, licking her lips.

“Please.” Mariah whispered.

Tessa leaned in and let her lips capture Mariah’s the kiss was gentle and sweet. Neither one of them fighting for control, just an equal exchange of passion. The bell on the elevator rang, as Mariah pulled back. 

“I will see you tomorrow.” Mariah said stepping out of the elevator. “Thank you for a wonderful morning.”

As the doors closed, Tessa smiled and touched her lips. She knew now she was in trouble.


	4. Definitely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Date night is here, and Mariah has some great plans to impress Tessa.

 

 

“Come on, you can sneak off and have lunch with me.” Tessa smiled that magnificent smile at Mariah, hoping to weaken the resolve she had.

“Nope. We have a date tonight, our first date, and I will not be distracted by that grin of yours and those mesmerizing eyes.” Mariah stood up from her desk and carried the folder in her hands to Devon’s in box. Devon had left for lunch already, and wouldn’t be back for a couple of hours, but that did not mean that Mariah could play hooky. “I have a lunch order in downstairs. I will pick it up and eat at my desk. I will see you tonight at seven.”

Tessa pouted but finally gave in. “Okay, but surely you will give me a little kiss to help me make it till seven.”

“You are too much.” Mariah smiled, but did not refuse. “Come here.” Mariah waggled her finger at Tessa, beckoning her closer.

Tessa walked slowly to where Mariah stood, her hands now down at her side. The two women locked eyes, both licking their lips.

“You know traditionally you go on a date before you kiss.” Mariah whispered, her gaze lost in the subtle greenness of Tessa’s eyes. “I have a feeling you are anything but traditional.”

“You know you would be bored if I was.” Sliding her hand up Mariah’s arm, finding purchase within red locks, Tessa pulled Mariah in.

Their lips met in a crash like the waves against the warm sand on a summer day. Mariah’s hand, as if on its own accord, moved to Tessa’s hair, pulling her in with reckless abandon. The kiss lasted for only a moment, but when Mariah pulled back, she still felt the warmth on Tessa’s lips.

“That will have to suffice.” Mariah grinned, returning to her desk. “Now run along and I will see you at seven.”

Giggling, Tessa made her way to the door of the office, Mariah’s eyes following long legs as they covered the short distance.

“I can’t wait.” Tessa turned to catch Mariah’s eyes fixed upon her round butt. Winking, she smiled and continued out the door.

The rest of the afternoon flew by as Mariah finished up some tasks for Devon and finalized her plans for the date. She hoped that Tessa would love the plans she made, not knowing much about her date, she had to guess at some of her likes and dislikes. It had helped that Mariah was able to stalk Tessa’s social media profiles and gather some much-needed intel.

After leaving work, Mariah headed to the store to pick up some wine and picnic supplies. She also swung by the deli and picked up some sandwiches and pasta salad. With the plan set and all the necessities secured, Mariah headed home to get dressed.

She had texted Tessa earlier suggesting she dress comfortably for an outdoor venue. That is all the information she had given her even though the musician had tried relentlessly to secure more tidbits through subtle questions.

Looking through her closet, Mariah chose a pair of faded denim jeans. Her go to summer sweater, which was sleeveless and a light jacket. She picked a pair of slightly heeled boots that stopped right above her ankle. Pulling her hair back into a messy bun and leaving a couple of strands of red hair to frame her face, Mariah chose a deep red lipstick with a slight gloss.

Mariah packed the dinner up in a picnic basket she had bought a couple of years before, having only used it on one occasion. She had wine, glasses, a bottle opener, which she placed in a separate backpack, and all the necessities to serve and eat the food that she placed in the picnic basket. She grabbed a blanket off the back of the couch in case the evening turned chilly. Checking everything twice, Mariah packed it all up and headed out to her car.

Driving to Tessa’s, Mariah connected her Bluetooth to her car stereo. She had specifically created a playlist for this evening. A mix of punk, indie, and pop that was subtle but said a lot about Mariah’s music taste. Music had always been an outlet for her. She didn’t have the talent to play an instrument or sing, but she knew how to put together an awesome playlist to highlight a date.

As David Bowie’s voice filled the car, Mariah sang along to Space Oddity. This wasn’t a normal hype song, but for Mariah, singing the lyrics and playing air guitar to this song always got her in a good mood. The song was also the perfect length to get her to Tessa’s apartment across town. As she pulled in to the parking lot, the final notes played out.

Mariah jumped out of the car, her excitement evident in the skip in her step as she headed to Tessa’s door. Knocking she smiled at the thought that beautiful green eyes were about to be staring back at her. If on cue, Tessa opened the door with a smile.

“Right on time.” Tessa grabbed a jacket from beside the door. “Is this okay?” Tessa spun around for Mariah to check out her outfit. Dark denim hugged long slender legs, and a firm backside. Her t-shirt black and worn had one line written on it “We’ll all float on alright.” Mariah laughed.

“I love the t-shirt.” Mariah reached out and took Tessa’s hand. “You look amazing.”

Tessa locked her door and returned her hand to Mariah’s as they walked hand in hand to the car. They made their way to the car, each getting in and buckling up. Mariah started the car and the music from her playlist began again. As the first few notes of Float On tumbled out of Mariah’s speakers, Tessa laughed.

“That is why you said you liked my t-shirt.” Tessa lit up, her smile and giggle making Mariah’s heart flutter.

“I created this playlist for tonight, and I honestly had no idea you had that t-shirt.” Mariah smiled as the lyrics of the Modest Mouse song filled the car.

_And we’ll all float on okay_  
And we’ll all float on okay  
And we’ll all float on okay  
And we’ll all float on alright

The two women sang along as Mariah drove to their destination. Mariah felt so comfortable laughing and singing with Tessa, she honestly didn’t feel the first date jitters that normally came from going out with someone the first time.

“You have a nice voice.” Tessa said as the song faded away and the next song began.

“You are sweet, but you don’t have to win me over with platitudes. I’ve already asked you out.” Mariah smiled mischievously at Tessa.

“I was being serious. I think you sound lovely.” Tessa’s face went serious for a moment. “You going to let me in on what the plan is tonight?”

“We are almost there.” Mariah kept her eyes on the road, watching the traffic, avoiding the hazel eyes fixed on her from the passenger’s seat.

Mariah pulled into the parking lot at Chancellor park. A smile touched her lips as she looked over at Tessa who looked confused.

“You brought me to the park?” Tessa asked as Mariah opened the door to get out of the car.

“Just go with me on this, I promise it won’t be that bad. Grab my phone please.” Mariah reached in the back seat and grabbed the picnic basket and the blanket. She threw the backpack over her shoulder and headed towards the park. “Follow me.”

“Do you want some help? I can carry something.” Tessa fell into step beside Mariah.

“I got it.” The two women walked across the park until they got to an area where several people were gathered around on blankets. There was a large blow up movie screen set up on one side of the park and a projector across from it.

“Did you bring me to an outdoor movie?” Tessa asked

“Yes. They do these once a week all through the summer. This week’s movie is the Wizard of Oz.”

Mariah sat the basket down in an area with very few people around, but they still had a good view of the screen. Taking the blanket, she handed one side to Tessa. The two women spread the blanket out and set it down on the ground. Mariah took the basket and sat it on one side of the blanket, indicating to Tessa to take a seat on the other side.

“I have cups and win in the back pack if you want to get us some.” Mariah slipped the backpack off her shoulder and handed it to Tessa. Opening the back pack, Tessa found two bottles of wine, a wine opener, and some plastic cups. Pulling everything out, she opened the wine and poured both women a healthy portion before setting the bottles off to the side.

“You come prepared.” Tessa said as she watched Mariah pull several food containers out of the picnic basket.

“We have pasta salad and sandwiches. I got us some brownies for dessert and there is a tub of popcorn at the bottom of the backpack.”  Mariah pointed to the back pack, as she continued to pull food out of the basket. “I have pickles, chips and a small assortment of fresh veggies with humus or ranch.” Mariah pulled a bottle of ranch dressing from the basket with a smile. She had noticed an Instagram post of Tessa carrying a bottle of ranch dressing in a pair of cargo pants. Mariah assumed that there must be a real love of ranch dressing to be that committed to having it on hand.

Tessa smiled and took the ranch dressing. “I assume you have been stalking me?”

“Yes.” Mariah didn’t look up from her organizing food on the blanket.

“Well, I stalked you too. So, we are even.” Tessa smiled as Mariah’s head popped up, a curious look on her face. “That is the beauty and the downfall of social media. You can learn so much about a person, but only what they are willing to post.”

“Well, what do you want to know?” Mariah handed Tessa plate with a sandwich wrapped in paper on it. “That is turkey with bacon and avocado, not tomatoes, mayo, lettuce, and a pickle on the side.” Mariah thrust the open container of pickles in Tessa’s direction.

“Your stalker skills seem to be pretty next level.” Tessa took the plate from Mariah and grabbed to pickle wedges from the plastic container. “How did you know?”

“You seem to have an unnatural love of bacon, which you express with bacon memes. You eat avocado toast way too often. You tweeted about turkey being a bird that should be cooked year-round. And you compared tomatoes to the devil’s toenails.” Mariah giggled. “I guessed on the pickles.”

“Nice.” Tessa took a bite of a pickle and sat her plate down on the blanket. “Maybe you should have been an investigator or a journalist.”

“I really only have that level of skill when I like the thing I’m researching.” Her eyes twinkling with a bit of mischief, Mariah looked up from her food to find Tessa staring at her with a smile. “And I definitely like you.”

Tessa pushed up off the blanket onto her knees, leaning in to kiss Mariah. It was a gentle kiss, their soft lips interlocking only for a moment before Tessa pulled back.

“So, what is on your sandwich?” Tessa asked moving to sit next to Mariah, their knees touching as both girls sat cross legged on the blanket.

“Ham, provolone, cucumber, sprouts, oil and vinegar with tomatoes and lettuce.” Mariah unwrapped her sandwich and took a big bite. She chewed as Tessa watched her, amused at the redhead.

“You are so cute.” Tessa unwrapped her sandwich, taking another bite of one of her pickle spears.

“Why? Because I eat?” Mariah retorted, a bit of annoyance in her voice. “Because I’m not one of those girls who doesn’t eat. I love food. I love the aesthetic of it. I love the smell, the taste, the subtle ways food evolves through preparation in the hands of someone adept at cooking.”

“So, you like to cook?” Tessa asked.

“Lord no. I would burn down the house. I think that is why I enjoy food so much. Preparing it, presenting it, not skills that I possess.” Mariah grabbed a bag of chips, offering some to Tessa.

“I’d like to cook for you. If you don’t have too many expectations.” Smiling, Tessa took some chips and put them on her plate. “I have a small place though. No table. Just a chair, a tiny kitchen, and my bed.”

Mariah choked at the mention of Tessa’s bed. She didn’t want to admit that she had imagined what it would be like to spend a night with Tessa. She had never been with a woman in that way, but her imagination seemed to be full on gay.

“Well, I have a nice kitchen, so maybe we can plan a night at my place.” Mariah started to blush. “To cook…a date night…not a night. Oh my, not what I meant.”

Tessa laughed as she watched Mariah cycle through varying degrees of redness, fighting to take back her comment, but only making it worse.

“I knew what you meant. Do you live alone?” Tessa was trying to ease Mariah out of her embarrassment, though for a moment she had considered piling on the innuendo.

“Yes, I have an apartment. I lived with my mom for a while, but she got remarried and I just felt like I needed my own space.” Mariah played with her food for moment. It was clear she had a question she wanted to ask, and Tessa could see her struggling.

“What is it?” Tessa asked. “I can see you thinking, struggling. What do you want to ask me?” Tessa reached out and took Mariah’s hand. “You can ask me anything.”

“Well, it was more of a statement than a question. Kind of.” Still struggling to put her words together, Mariah looked into Tessa’s sparkling hazel eyes. Her whole body relaxed, as Tessa smiled back at her reassuringly. “I have never been with another woman. I have never kissed a woman besides you, well there was this one time I kissed this girl I don’t even really like. That is another story for another time. I just don’t want to disappoint you in any way. I don’t know what I’m doing. Are you okay with that?”

“I am okay with it.” Tessa smiled, then turned shifted so she was facing Mariah. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I just might need to go slow for a while.” Mariah blushed a little with the implication that at some point, sex would be an option.

“I’m okay with that.” Tessa took Mariah’s hand again. “You take your time. We can date, get to know each other, and hopefully kiss a little more.” Tessa winked at Mariah as she said the last part causing Mariah’s heart to skip a beat.

“Oh, definitely more kissing.” Mariah smiled and leaned. “I think that part I am going to need practice at.”

Mariah pulled Tessa to her, let her lips capture the dark-haired woman’s ruby lips. Pulling back from the kiss with a smile, Mariah reached for her wine.

“I think the movie is about to start.” Mariah pointed to the screen as the projector began to flash across the screen.

The two women sat hand in hand throughout the movie. Snacking on all the treats that Mariah had brought and finishing one and a half bottles of wine. They worked together to clean up their area after the movie had completed. And finally walked hand in hand back to the car, each carrying part of the supplies from their first date.

“I had a wonderful time tonight. Thank you.” Tessa helped Mariah load the evidence of their date into the back seat of her car. “I am glad you asked me out.”

Mariah giggled. “Yes, I am glad I asked you out too.”

They both got into the car, smiling. Mariah started the car and her playlist. Mariah listened as Tessa’s voice filled the car. The melodic cadence of the hazel eyed musician danced into Mariah’s mind filling her heart with joy and spreading a warmness throughout her body. Mariah couldn’t help but feel like this was what love felt like. She didn’t want to think those thoughts, being this was their first date, but Mariah had never felt this at ease or close to someone ever.

“You were smiling, and now you’re not. Where did your mind go?” Tessa was staring at Mariah, her voice snapping Mariah out of her thoughts and back into the car. “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m sorry. Work, I just remembered something from work.” Mariah lied, very unconvincingly.

“Work?” Tessa questioned. “Are you sure?”

“I…” Mariah looked forward at the road, her hands grasping the steering wheel tightly. “I just thought I have never felt like this before. It scared me.”

“I get that.” Tessa reached to turn down the radio. “I hope you know that you can tell me when things get overwhelming or scary for you. I will listen. I will answer any questions. And most of all, I won’t every rush you.”

“Thank you.” Mariah said as she pulled up in front of Tessa’s apartment. She put the car and park as she turned to face Tessa. “I had an amazing time tonight.”

“I did too. You planned a wonderful date.” Tessa reached up and pushed a strand of hair behind Mariah’s ear. “I am so glad you asked me out. I would like to return the favor. Would you like to go out this weekend?”

“I would love that.” Mariah smiled as Tessa’s hand was still playing with her hair.

Tessa slid her fingers into Mariah’s hair, letting them curl the soft red locks around her fingers. Mariah, anticipating where this was going, leaned into the kiss. Crashing lips fought with an urgent desire, their lips parting to allow access to each other’s tongues. Mariah’s hand found its way to Tessa’s neck, her fingers dancing across skin to her cheek. Out of breath and hungry for more, Tessa pulled back.

“I think I should go inside.” Tessa whispered. “We need to take this slow.”

Unable to speak, Mariah nodded.

“I will see you tomorrow.” Tessa said, as she slid out of the car. “Thank you for a lovely time.”

“Thank you and I’ll see you tomorrow.” Finally, able to form a coherent thought Mariah answered.

She watched as Tessa walked away. It had been so long since she had been attracted to someone, and never to this degree or this quickly. All the fear and trepidation she had expected to flood her mind had left the moment Tessa smiled, and it was still gone as she watched her walk into her building. Mariah couldn’t wait for whatever was to come, because she knew that she had found someone special and she wasn’t letting go.


	5. Let's Make Music

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa struggles with lyrics to a new song and gets some much needed help from a beautiful redhead.

 

It had been a couple of weeks since Mariah and Tessa had gone on their first date. Tessa had planned the second one, which involved roller skating, pizza, and lots of wine. The two-woman laughed until Mariah couldn’t breathe. It had been one of the most magical nights Mariah could ever remember having. Especially when they got back to Mariah’s place.

Mariah had convinced herself all night that she would just kiss Tessa in the car and then excuse herself for the night. That isn’t at all what happened. As soon as the two women’s lips met in the front seat of Tessa’s little beat up silver 1996 Volkswagen Jetta, Mariah didn’t want it to end.

“Come in with me.” Mariah whispered through deep breaths between kisses. “Just for a little while.”

Tessa moaned against Mariah’s lips. “You and I both know you aren’t ready.”

“I’m ready….so ready.” Mariah let her fingers tug against Tessa’s hair, knowing what that did to the musician. “We can try, maybe. Just some light petting.”

Tessa laughed into Mariah’s mouth as the redhead tried to reclaim her lips.

“Light petting, you know I hate that word. And, you and I both know that once we get in that house, the probability of clothing staying on is slim. So, you must be positive this is what you want. I am willing to wait…but I will not say no to you.” Tessa’s eyes dropped, she bit her lip and sighed. “Actually, I think I will say no to you.”

Mariah’s eyes saddened while she watched Tessa stare at her hands in her lap. She was picking at her cuticles again, which seemed to be what she did when she was afraid to say something…when she was nervous.

“What is it?” Mariah asked. “You can tell me anything, you know that. Do you not like me in that way? Do you not want to have sex with me?”

“No. Oh my god, no. I just don’t want to disappoint you, but I think we need to wait.” Tessa looked up to find soft smiling eyes focused on her. “We have only had two dates, and you need time, whether you believe you do or not. I am so infatuated with you and you are so incredibly sexy. You turn me on every time we are around each other. I just want to make sure you are ready for this. I also want you to be sure that you want to be with me. I don’t want to get hurt either.”

“You are right. And I do like that you think about me in these situations.” Mariah reached out and took Tessa’s hand in hers. “Thank you.”

“There isn’t any need to thank me, we are in this together.” Tessa smiled, leaned in to kiss Mariah again.

“Nope, I have to go inside, or I’ll never get out of this car.” Mariah smiled and opened the car door. She slid out and made sure to let her ass remain right at Tessa’s eye level for a few extra seconds as she situated her stuff in her hands and found her keys. As she turned around, Tessa’s eyes were on her ass and her mouth was slightly agape. “Like what you see?”

Tessa snapped out of it and laughed. “I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Now it was three weeks, four days since they had gone on their first date. Mariah was quietly sitting at her desk, thinking about ways to tell Tessa she was ready to move forward. Tessa was downstairs in the studio lounge working on a new song, at least that is what Devon had told Mariah. She hadn’t seen her all day.

“Hey, can you run down and get Tessa’s lunch order? I want to keep her in the lounge as much as possible so I will feed her today, and you too.” Devon said without even lifting his head up from his computer.

“Sure, no problem boss.” Mariah grabbed her phone and stood up.

“Don’t get too distracted okay.” Devon laughed, he was one of the first people to know that Mariah and Tessa were dating. Several days after their first date, Tessa had revealed that Devon had spoken to her about Mariah. It was cute how protective he was, but it was also amazing how supportive he had been about them dating.

Mariah giggled, a soft blush tinting her cheeks. She took the elevator down to the studio level, stepping out into the hallway that ran between the studio, the offices, and the music lounge. Devon had created an environment for his artists to be able to write music and collaborate with other artists. He provided a welcoming environment with several instruments and a ton of music in the form of records and digital media.

Mariah slowed as she approached the lounge, the door was open, and Tessa was singing inside. Mariah listened as the singer worked through the lyrics, stopping and sighing. She strummed her guitar a few times and started again.

_The room it lit up the moment you walked in_

_Hair burning like the sun_

_Your eyes are golden, golden like honey_

_Your words have me undone_

_With you I learned to breath_

_The sound of your laughter like air_

_With you I learned to see_

_My soul you have stripped bare._

Tessa stopped and sighed again. Mariah sat and listened one more time as Tessa strummed her guitar, slapping the body of her Martin guitar that she always had with her. The beat was catchy, it felt like a driving song. Mariah could hear the drums in her head, _bum bum bum…bum pa ba bum…bum bum bum…bum pa ba bum._

Mariah slid to the other side of the door where she could see the back of Tessa’s head over the top of the couch. She was pushed forward, sitting on the edge of the cushion, her guitar resting on her knee. Tessa began strumming again running through the first part of the song, getting to the chorus, instead of stopping this time, she did a slight shift in the key.

 _This song is yours_  
Nobody else’s  
These words are yours

Tessa paused again. She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair in frustration, Mariah shivered at the action, her body reacting to the idea of Tessa’s hands in her hair. She had an idea.

“Can you run through it again?” Mariah smiled as she glided to the couch and took a seat at the opposite end. “Trust me please.”

Tessa obeyed, the strings of her guitar finding the rhythm to the song again. She worked her way through the first few lines, then hit the bridge. As she started to sing, she could hear the soft tones of Mariah’s voice harmonizing

 _This song is yours_  
Nobody else’s  
These words are yours

Tessa stopped singing but kept playing as Mariah chimed in with the next few lines

 _As well as my heart_  
You knock me over  
With just one look  
Then lift me up  
Right from the start

Mariah stopped singing, her eyes darting down to her hands in her lap.

“That was good.” Tessa said, unable to stop staring at this intriguing redhead who seemed to be able to do anything. “That was really good. How?”

“I listened for a little bit before I came in. You were stuck, I just listened, and my heart did the rest.” Mariah smiled, her eyes meeting Tessa’s who was still amazed.  “Do you need to write it down?”

Tessa pointed to a recorder sitting on the table. Mariah blushed, her voice would now be forever preserved on Tessa’s voice recorder, or a file on her computer.

“I can erase it if you want.” Tessa interjected, even though Mariah had said nothing. “Your face, it looked mortified.”

“I was a bit, but I think it will be fine.” Mariah slid forward off the couch. “I just came to get your lunch order. Devon wants you to stay focused, so he is feeding you from the club today. Do you want your usual?”

“What I want is for you to help me finish this song?”  Tessa slid closer to Mariah, reaching up taking her hand. “Do you think Devon will let you help?”

“What? You want me to help you write a song?” Mariah looked disbelievingly at Tessa.

“Yes. The lyrics were perfect.” Tessa smiled. “I think you have a knack for this. Let’s go to talk to Devon.”

“Talk to me about what?” Devon said from the door.

“Well, I was stuck…actually, let me show you.” Tessa said. She began playing the song, getting to the part where she had been hung up, she nodded her head at Mariah. Mariah began singing the lyrics that she had created to complete Tessa’s chorus. Then Tessa stopped.

“She did that.” Tessa said. “She filled in the lyrics for the chorus and it works really well. Don’t you think?”

Devon stood there for a moment in silence. Looking at the two women.

“I do think it works really well.” He scratched his head and then nodded like he had been having a conversation in his head. “Spend the rest of the afternoon working out the lyrics for this song, both of you. But order our lunches first.”

“Okay.” Mariah said, shocked as she looked at giant smile on Tessa’s face. Devon turned and walked out.

“This is going to be amazing.” Tessa said.

“First let me order the food. And I’m not sure how amazing it is going to be.” Mariah picked up her phone and called the restaurant. She placed the regular orders for everyone as Tessa wrote down the new lyrics Mariah had come up with for the chorus. As Mariah hung up the phone, Tessa reached out and took her hand.

“You know who that song was about?” Tessa asked.

“Yes.” Mariah whispered.

“Are you okay with that?” Tessa moved closer to Mariah.

“The song is about us now.” Mariah looked up a gleam in her eye. “You started the story of us in the first part, but I have an idea for the second part. The idea of us.”

“The idea of us?” Tessa’s red lips formed the half grin that melted Mariah’s heart every time. “We haven’t discussed an us. As far as I know we have just been dating.”

“I am ready if you are?” Mariah laced her fingers into Tessa’s. “I’m ready to be more, and I’m ready for you to stay the night.”

Tessa coughed. Her grin quickly becoming a full-blown smile. “I’d really like that.”

“So, I can call you my girlfriend?” Mariah asked a little reluctantly.

“Is that what you want?” Tessa slid her hand onto Mariah’s thigh. “Because it sounds fantastic to me.”

Mariah blushed as she dipped her head down. Tessa pushed up her chin and let her lips capture the redhead’s mouth in a warm passionate kiss. The two women slid closer together, their hands beginning to wonder, the mouths becoming more lustful in their intent. Mariah pulled away, out of breath and flushed.

“I really think we should keep it professional her at work. I don’t want anyone to walk in on us going at it on the musician’s couch. Plus, I need to go pick up lunch.” Mariah straightened her clothes and stood up.

“Okay, girlfriend, but I’ll come with you, to help carry everything.” Tessa sighed and pushed herself up off the couch.

After lunch the women worked for several hours on the rest of the song. It seemed to move along a lot faster than either had intended. Their ability to play off each other’s word choices and Tessa’s ability to sense the direction Mariah was going musically was a match made in Heaven. Around four o’clock, Devon entered the lounge as Tessa had ran through the song for one finally check.

“What do you guys have for me?” Devon said as Tessa stood up and moved to a chair.

“Well the song is titled _Right From the Start_.”  Tessa strummed her strings for a moment and looked at Mariah. This was their song, written by them, about them, and it was them.

She began to play:

 

_The room it lit up the moment you walked in_

_Hair burning like the sun_

_Your eyes are golden, golden like honey_

_Your words have me undone_

_With you I learned to breath_

_The sound of your laughter like air_

_With you I learned to see_

_My soul you have stripped bare._

_This song is yours_

_Nobody else’s_

_These words are yours_

_As well as my heart_

_You knock me over_

_With just one look_

_And then lift me up_

_Right from the start_

_The world may find us different_

_Our hearts, they love just the same_

_And now, that I have found you_

_I know that you are my flame_

_This love may not be easy_

_This heart is hard to tame_

_But you, you see right through me_

_And nothing is the same._

_This song is yours_

_Nobody else’s_

_These words are yours_

_As well as my heart_

_You knock me over_

_With just one look_

_And then lift me up_

_Right from the start._

_This heart is yours_

_Nobody else’s_

_I breath for you_

_Right from the start_

_The kiss on my lips_

_Meant for yours only_

_Take all of me_

_Especially my heart_

_I have been yours_  
I have been yours  
All of me is yours  
Right from the start

 

 

 

“Well what do you think?” Mariah asked Devon who hadn’t moved since Tessa started playing.

“I think we are going to get you into the studio with this song tomorrow. I’m going to go look at the schedule. You two go. Take off, in fact, have drinks on me at the roof deck. You knocked this one out of the park”

“Is that a sports reference?” Mariah asked. “Hey free drinks, never mind. Thank you.”

“Thank both of you for working on this together. I can really feel the emotion between the two of you in the words. I hope we can find a few more of those. If the two of you are up to writing some more?” Devon turned to Tessa who hadn’t spoken since she had finished playing.

“I love writing with Mariah, it would be amazing do get to do more songs with her.” Tessa started putting away her guitar. “How do you feel about that Mariah?

“I am up for it.” Mariah and Tessa’s eyes met, as the two women smiled. They were going to be working together on music, not a path either thought they would be on, but both were very happy about it.


	6. Our Song

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa records her first single, Right From The Start. 
> 
> Then the girls spend a quiet night at Mariah's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***This Chapter has some explicit scenes. Please be aware that there is f/f sex, oral sex.***

 

“I’m really glad you decided to let me sit in on this.” Mariah had the biggest grin on her face, sitting behind Devon as he pushed and turned buttons and knobs on the soundboard. Jerome sat beside him, working the balance as Tessa stood in the booth singing to the track she and Mariah had wrote.

After a couple of days, they had written two more songs and were halfway through writing a third. One that wasn’t a sappy love song, but instead a driving song about leaving behind toxic people and situations. Tessa was currently singing the lyrics to _Right From the Start_. She had already run through it three times, Devon seemed to think they would have everything they needed with this last take.

As the notes died down, Tessa stood with an expectant look on her face. Devon hit the button and told her to take five. Mariah hopped up and entered the booth.

“That was amazing.” Mariah wrapped her arms around Tessa. “You nailed the second chorus and the ending sounded phenomenal. I really think this is going to be a hit. The way Devon overlaid the piano with the song on the bridge. I think it is going to be brilliant.” Mariah hadn’t taken a breath since she walked into the recording booth.

“I felt a little better about the last one, but I still feel like I could do better.” Tessa said, a look of disappointment on her face. “I was off on the chorus.”

“I didn’t hear that.” Mariah argued. “You were on point.”

Mariah leaned in and kissed Tessa, letting her lips gently brush the dark-haired woman’s lips.

Devon broke in over the speaker, jolting both women out of the intimate moment. “Tessa that’s a wrap, we got we needed.”

“You don’t need me to do it one more time, I feel like I can do it better.” Tessa said as she stepped away from Mariah, her hands falling to the side. Tessa stepped back to the mic, her hands wringing together, nervousness emanating off of her in waves.

“Nope, we got it. Why don’t you two head out for the night? We will work what we have and start recording a new track Monday.” Devon smiled through the glass.

“Hey, you want to go out to dinner, maybe see a movie?” Mariah suggested, trying to distract Tessa from the obsessing about the song.

“I don’t know how much fun I’ll be.” Tessa said, as she turned and started gathering her stuff.

“Okay, well let’s pick up a pizza, some wine and go stream something at my apartment.” Mariah suggested.

Tessa turned and saw the hopeful look on Mariah’s face and couldn’t help but feel her heart skip a beat.

“You know what, that sounds absolutely perfect.” Tessa reached out and took Mariah’s hand and led her out of the studio. They stopped and gathered Mariah’s things and said good night to Devon.

 

After picking up all the necessities for a night in, including some delicious brownies from a local coffee house, the two women settled into Mariah’s couch with a movie, pizza and wine. Mariah could tell right away that the movie was not enough of a distraction for Tessa. She had hoped that the movie would be the bridge she needed in order to broach the subject that had been tugging at the back of her mind for several days now. Mariah was ready to have sex with Tessa, and she wanted to talk about it.

She had decided after their last date, which had taken place the night they had finished the song _Right From the Start._ Mariah had watched Tessa all night and thought about what she wanted from their relationship. What she felt like they had already accomplished. She knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that she was ready. Now the only problem was how to let Tessa know.

“What are you so intently thinking about?” Tessa said, breaking through Mariah’s deep train of thought.

“Um…” Mariah paused, here was her opportunity to broach the subject, but would it be inconsiderate to bring it up knowing that Tessa was distracted by her music. “I want to talk to you about something, but I don’t want it to be a big thing. I definitely don’t want to talk about it if you are worried or not in the right frame of mind.”

“Well now I’m intrigued.” Tessa said, turning her body to face Mariah’s on the couch, reaching for the remote and pausing the movie. “What is it? You know you can talk to me about anything, Right?”

“Okay, well we have been dating a while, and I know that we said we would take it slow. And that you want to make sure that I take it at my own pace, because you are the first woman, I have been with…” Mariah paused, looking up from her hands and seeing a smirk on Tessa’s face. “What?”

“I am just listening to you. And you are so cute when you are nervous.” Tessa reached out and took Mariah’s hand. “Please continue.”

Mariah relaxed as the warmth of Tessa’s hands spread through her body. She knew now that she was making the right decision. She was ready and this was what she wanted.

“I am ready.” Mariah stated matter-of-factly. “I am ready to move our relationship forward. I know we said slow, and I feel like we have gone slow. I just…I can’t go to sleep without thinking about you. I imagine what it would be like. I want you to touch me. I want to touch you. I want to experience the intimacy that will move our relationship forward. I am yours in so many ways, and you are mine. Now I want to show you.”

“Are you sure?” Tessa said, rubbing her thumb across the back of Mariah’s knuckles, a smile lighting up her face. “I am yours Mariah, you don’t have to prove it to me.”

“I don’t want to overthink this. I notoriously overthink things. I know what I want now.” Mariah smiled

“And what do you want?” Tessa asked.

“I want you.” Mariah’s voice dropped down to a low rumble, her eyes turning dark with desire. “I want all of you.”

Tessa stood up, taking Mariah’s hand and helping her off the couch. She kissed her lips gently, turning and leading her to the bedroom off the living room. She opened the door, turning around and taking Mariah’s other hand. Walking backwards, Tessa led Mariah to the bed.

“I want you to be comfortable, so if at any point it is too much, just tell me.” Tessa slid her hands up and down Mariah’s side, trying to relax her. “We go at your pace.”

Mariah smiled, her eyes still dark with desire. Mariah walked her hand up Tessa’s arm to her hair, entangling black locks. She pulled Tessa’s mouth down to hers, capturing her lips and letting her other hand slip up to Tessa’s waist. Fingers finding skin beneath the hem of Tessa’s shirt, Mariah let her hand wander.

A moan escaped Tessa’s lips. She hadn’t realized how much she had wanted this until the warmth of Mariah’s fingertips began tracing circles along her side. Sliding her hands under Mariah’s top, Tessa let her hands glide up to the gentle rise of Mariah’s breast, the lace of her bra acting as a barrier between them.

Mariah growled, as she let her tongue slip into Tessa’s mouth. The warmth spreading throughout her body as the two women explored each other. Tugging at the bottom of Tessa’s shirt, Mariah began to remove it. Their lips parting long enough for both women to remove the other’s shirt, desire rampant as Mariah’s mouth found its way to Tessa’s neck. She nipped her way from collar bone to ear lobe, taking the soft flesh between her teeth and pulling as her tongue flicked against it.

With one fluid movement, Tessa slid her hands around Mariah’s back and undid her bra, letting it fall to the floor. She did the same with her own bra, letting their skin come together in white hot flashes of ecstasy.

“Tessa.” Mariah moaned, as Tessa’s hands found their way to Mariah’s soft supple breasts.

Working her hands down to Mariah’s pants, Tessa undid them, letting them fall to the floor. Her hands sliding the lacy panties blocking her way down behind them. Gently she pushed Mariah back on to the bed. Removing the rest of her clothes.

Kissing her way up Mariah’s body, Tessa let her body explore Mariah’s. Breasts, lips, fingers all working their way against warm skin as Mariah’s body rose to meet her with every movement. Sliding her body up Mariah’s she let her mouth envelope one pert nipple, enticing a gasp from Mariah’s lips, her hips rising against Tessa’s thigh.

The women moved against each other, Tessa’s mouth moving to the other breast, biting and sucking against it. Mariah’s hands found their way to Tessa’s hair, pulling her mouth up to hers.

“Kiss me.” Mariah breathed.

Lips met in a crash, Tessa’s tongue claiming Mariah’s mouth as her own. Mariah sucked hard against Tessa’s bottom lip as she pulled away.

“Are we going to fast?” Tessa questioned

Mariah shook her head no.

“Are you ready?” Tessa asked.

Mariah smiled and nodded.

Tessa’s lips and tongue traced a path from Mariah’s lips to her breasts, pausing to tease the already pert buds back to attention. With a smooth movement, she parted Mariah’s thighs with her legs, sliding the length of her body down till her mouth rested just centimeters away from warm, wet lips.  She let a soft breath escape her lips before flicking her tongue against the swollen folds before her. Mariah bucked against her tongue, wanting more.

Tessa worked her mouth against Mariah, sucking and licking as Mariah’s body moved to meet her at ever turn. The buildup of weeks of waiting and wanting made the climax come so very quickly. Feeling Mariah getting close, Tessa pulled back, blowing softly.

Mariah moaned, “Tessa please.”

Tessa slid her tongue back in, working the electric bundle of nerves in her mouth till Mariah screamed out writhing against Tessa’s mouth. Kissing her way back up Mariah’s body, Tessa slipped into the space beside her, resting her head on Mariah’s chest.

“You okay.” Tessa asked.

Heavy breathing along with what seemed like a head nod was the only response that Tessa received. Mariah’s hands pulled against Tessa’s hair again.

“Kiss me, I want to taste it.” Mariah whispered.

Tessa let her tongue glide across Mariah’s lips, sliding it in slowly, their lips meeting, working against each other. Mariah pulled away.

“Can I try?” Mariah said, nervousness tinging her tone. “I want to try.”

“We can do whatever you want, I just want you to feel safe and comfortable.” Tessa smiled.

Without any trepidation, Mariah flipped over pinning Tessa to the bed. Her hips falling snuggly between Tessa’s thighs. The warmth and wetness still evident. Mariah kissed Tessa’s lips, moving her mouth down to Tessa’s neck, across her collarbone. Kissing her shoulder and across to Tessa’s breast, Mariah sucked in one erect nipple rolling her teeth across soft flesh.

Tessa’s back arched against Mariah. Mariah growled against Tessa’s nipple.

“I want you so much. I never imagined it could be like this.” Mariah moved her mouth across the firm flat skin of Tessa’s stomach, her teeth and tongue flicking and sucking against the flesh.

Mariah slid her hands between Tessa’s thighs, pushing open her legs and sliding her face down into the warmth. Mariah let her tongue trace Tessa’s sweltering swollen lips. Her mouth sucking at the flesh. Tessa whimpered, her hips rising against Mariah’s mouth. Mariah blew softly on the heat, wanting Tessa to feel all the sensations she had felt before.

Mariah’s tongue dipped into the wetness, she moaned as the taste hit her tongue. The beautiful sensation of Tessa in her mouth was the most amazing thing she had ever experienced. She worked Tessa’s clit, sucking it in, flicking her tongue. Tessa’s body shook against Mariah. Mariah let her tongue dip into Tessa’s opening, plunging in, sucking in. She slid her hands up around Tessa’s thighs, pulling her against her mouth.

Tessa breathed Mariah’s name as she shook against Mariah’s mouth, the explosion being felt by both women. Mariah lapped at the wetness, breathing in the beauty of the experience.

Mariah moved up to Tessa, who’s eyes were closed, her mouth agape. Laying her body on top of Tessa, Mariah let her hands encircle her lover.

“I love you.” Mariah said breathlessly. “I never thought I could love like this, but I do love you.”

Tessa kissed the top of Mariah’s head. “I love you, too.”

Breathless, and spent the two women fell asleep in each other’s arms.

 

 

As the morning light streamed through Mariah’s bedroom window, the distant sound of a phone ringing woke Tessa. Trapped beneath a swath of red hair and naked limbs, Tessa smiled.

“Is that your phone?” Mariah mumbled.

“Yes.” Giggling, Tessa answered. “It can wait.”

Tessa kissed the top of Mariah’s head, brushing read hair behind her ear. As they lay there holding each other in the early morning light, Tessa’s phone went off again.

“Isn’t it Saturday?” Mariah mumbled again.

“Yes, I should check it.” Tessa slid out from under Mariah. Mariah watched as beautiful long legs, made quick strides across the room and into the living room where her phone was going off once again.

“It’s Devon.” Tessa hollered from the other room.

Answering the phone and climbing back into bed, Tessa settled in next to a naked Mariah, her hand tracing the lines of the hips.

“Good morning.” Tessa answered much more chipper than the hour required.

Mariah could hear Devon on the other end of the phone, though she couldn’t really make out what he was saying.

“No, I’ve been asleep. Is something wrong?” Tessa sounded nervous now.

Devon spoke again, as Tessa listened intently.

“Okay, I’ll call you back.”  Tessa hung up the phone.

Tessa scrolled through her phone. Exhaling deeply.

“What is it?” Mariah asked. Tessa didn’t respond, but instead tapped the screen of her phone.

Suddenly, the soft strum of Tessa’s guitar began emanating from the phone. Then the beautiful melodic cadence of Tessa’s voice filled the room.

“Is that your song?” Mariah shot up in the bed.

“Yes.” Tessa smiled. “That is our song.”

Tessa jumped up off the bed, pulling Mariah behind her. The two women swayed to the song, naked bodies warm against each other. Mariah was the happiest she could ever remember being.

“It is our song.” Mariah whispered, as she kissed Tessa. It would always be their song.


	7. The Band

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa is getting ready to go on tour and she meets her band. While Mariah has a big question to ask?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ***This Chapter contains explicit material. If you are offended by such, please do not read.***

 

 

Mariah sat staring at her computer. Twenty cities in thirty days, that was Tessa’s life in a week. Mariah had booked the travel, the rooms, and verified the club dates. Her music had been streaming on LP for a about month and in that time their relationship had been solid. They had spent almost every night together.

These thirty days were going to be a real test to their new relationship. While Mariah felt solid about how she felt about Tessa. She was head over heels and that was what scared her. Surely, they could survive the distance, and the time that would happen while Tessa was on tour.

“What are you so deep in thought about?” Devon walked into the office, a smile on his face. “It wouldn’t be our new superstar?”

“I was just finalizing her schedule. Making sure I covered all the necessities.” Mariah printed out the itinerary with all the details. She headed to the printer, Devon watched as she went about her tasks.

“You have more on your mind than itineraries?” Devon sat down at his desk and motioned for Mariah to sit across from him.

“I am so excited for Tessa. I mean this is huge for her career. She has so much opportunity going on this tour and you have been promoting the heck out of her.” Mariah paused, thinking about how she would state the next part. “I just know I’m going to miss her when she is gone.”

“Touring is hard on a couple. One person is left behind to deal with the mundane duties of day to day life, while the other person is off experiencing new things every day. New cities, new venues, new foods, new people…it can be overwhelming and sometimes it can cause a couple to lose track of where they are.” Devon leaned forward, placing his hands together in front of his mouth. “Have you talked to Tessa about what you both expect?”

“No, but I think we are on the same track.” Mariah said, a bit of questioning in her tone. “I mean we haven’t been together that long, but we have spent all of our free time together. We basically live together.”

“I think the two of you should have a talk. I’m not saying you aren’t on the same track. Just make sure you are.” Devon shuffled some papers on his desk. “She is in the writing room, take some time now and go talk.”

Mariah slid her chair away from her desk. She had been thinking they needed to have a talk before Tessa left. Mariah was going to ask her to move in with her. She didn’t think that Tessa needed to keep her apartment while she was on tour, and then when she got back, she could come home to their place.

As she made her way to the writing lounge, she could hear Tessa’s voice drifting down the hall. She was talking to someone, Mariah didn’t recognize the voice. Turning the corner into the writer’s lounge, Mariah saw that a beautiful blond woman sat on the couch, laughing and touching Tessa’s shoulder. Mariah stopped dead in her tracks.

Both women were smiling, and Tessa held her guitar on her lap. The blond slid her hand down Tessa’s arm, taking the neck of the guitar and pulling it into her lap. She began playing the song that Tessa and Mariah had written together. Mariah cleared her throat, and both women turned around.

“Hey you.” Tessa said with a smile. “We were just getting ready to rehearse. We are waiting on the other two band members to get here.”

The blond smiled, “I’m Pepper, most everyone just calls me Pep. I am the bassist.”

“I’m Mariah, Tessa’s girlfriend.” Mariah aggressively responded.

“Oh, Devon’s assistant. I meant to talk to you about the room assignments.” Pepper handed Tessa back her guitar. “You have me rooming with Jake, the sound guy, and well, I’m not comfortable rooming with a guy.”

“The budget only affords for three rooms. I wasn’t told you were female, so I just put you with whoever.” Mariah walked towards the end of the couch were Tessa sat staring wide eyed at Mariah. “Are any of the others female?”

“No.” Pepper responded.

“You can change mine to a double and she can room with me. I don’t need a room to myself.” Tessa looked at Pepper then back at Mariah who had a very disapproving look on her face.

“I’ll talk to Devon and see what we can do.” Mariah slid her arm around Tessa as she sat on the arm of the couch. “Do you have a minute for me?”

“Always.” Tessa stood up and the two women walked out into the hall.

“I was hoping you and I could have a talk before you leave.” Mariah’s face was serious. She needed to stop thinking about Pepper touching Tessa’s arm and the possibility the two of them would be sharing a room.

“You sound serious. Can we do it tonight over dinner?” Tessa asked, worry flashed across her eyes.

“That sounds like a plan. Well I should get back and talk to Devon about the room situation.” Mariah turned to go, Tessa reached out and took her hand to pull her back.

“Don’t I get a kiss first.” Tessa smiled.

Mariah’s anger weakened as the smirk on Tessa’s face melted it away. “Of course.”

Tessa pulled Mariah into her arms, letting her hands slide down to the red-heads hips. She gently pressed her lips to Mariah’s, letting her tongue part them, seeking refuge. Mariah let her in, their mouths fitting together like two puzzle pieces destined to always find their way together.

“Woah.” A male voice from behind Mariah broke through their intimate moment, as Mariah pulled away. “Sorry about that, I’m looking for the music room. I’m Trevor, the drummer.”

Mariah pointed to the door beside them, as Tessa pulled away an introduced herself. They retreated into the music lounge, as Mariah was left with the warmth of Tessa upon her lips.

After returning to her office, Devon assured her there was only enough room in the budget for three rooms and she would have to be okay with Tessa and Pepper rooming together. He suggested she get to work making sure all the rooms were doubles so there would be no confusion. Mariah spent the rest of her afternoon changing reservations for twenty hotels. She was not happy about it, but like a good employee she did her job.

After finishing up her work and shutting everything down. She headed to the music lounge to see what Tessa was up to. She heard the music coming from the room before she actually got there. The ethereal voice wafting through the hallways was that of her girlfriend. Mariah stood for a minute taking in the words to the song that had been written by the two of them. A second woman’s voice, probably Pepper, harmonized on the chorus, sending a shockwave of emotion through Mariah’s body. It was hard to believe that she could be this jealous over someone else singing their song.

Mariah pushed off the wall she had been leaning against and entered the room with a smile on her face. There was a full band in the room. Trevor the drummer sat behind the drums as Pepper plucked away at the strings of an electric bass. A second guy was on an electric guitar as Tessa played her electric acoustic and sang away. The arrangement was beautiful, the melody sticking inside Mariah’s heads where the words already lived.

As they finished up, Mariah clapped. “That sounds amazing.” She said as the music died out.

“Do you really think so?” Tessa asked, not having faith in her abilities.

“That song is sure to be a hit. Your writing is amazing.” Pepper interjected.

“Our writing.” Tessa corrected. “Mariah helped write the lyrics for this song.”

“I didn’t know you were a song writer as well as an assistant?” Pepper sardonically added.

“I’m also a music scout for Devon. I scout the talent before it makes its way into the studio.” Mariah quipped back. “You almost done?”

“Aww babe, we need to run through two more songs. Can I meet you at your place?” Tessa asked. “Or you can stay and listen.”

Deciding against being the groupie sitting on the couch, Mariah thought she better head home.

“I’ll head home. I make some dinner for when you get done.” Mariah turned to go, turning back around quickly, she walked over to where Tessa stood.

With ease she raised up on her tiptoes, matching Tessa’s height, she let her lips find Tessa’s. The guitar between them, made a plunk noise as Mariah’s purse hit the strings. Her lips on the other hand, found a warm inviting home as Tessa returned the soft gentle kiss.

“See ya.” Mariah smiled as she turned and left the room, everyone staring at her as she walked away.

 

 

Several hours later, with no word from Tessa, Mariah finally decided to text her to find out what was going on. After several texts and one phone call that was unanswered, Mariah began to worry.

Finally, around eleven, Mariah got a text from Tessa saying she was on her way. Not knowing whether to be worried or mad, Mariah decided to pour herself a glass of wine and sit on the couch and wait.

The knock at the door could only mean Tessa had finally made it. “Come in.” Mariah responded, knowing the door was unlocked.

Tessa opened the door and walked in, guitar case in hand.

“I’m so sorry. Time got away from me, and my phone was in my guitar case.” Tessa began. “We went for a drink, and it was just supposed to be one, but it turned into several. I lost track of time.”

“You went out with the band…with Pepper?” Mariah asked.

“Yes, with the band.” Tessa replied with trepidation. “Pepper was there too. Are you jealous?”

Mariah paused, she was jealous, but she didn’t want Tessa to know that.

“I just get a bad feeling about her is all.” Mariah lied.

“She is actually very cool. She has played on several tours. She has tons of experience. She harmonizes really well with me, which helps the songs add dimension.” Tessa raved on about Pepper, while Mariah fumed.

“I told you we needed to talk. And you went for a drink instead.” Mariah changed the subject. “I definitely think the talk is needed now.”

“I don’t understand, what is wrong?” Tessa beginning to get defensive, sat her guitar case down and made her way to the couch. “What do we need to talk about.”

“Well, I just wanted to discuss how this,” Mariah pointed to Tessa and herself, “was going to work with you being gone for thirty days. Now I also have to worry about some blond bassist who may or may not be hitting on you.”

“Mariah, I’m not interested in Pepper. I love you.” Tessa said with a smile. “I…love you.” She repeated.

“I don’t know what is wrong with me. I am so worried about something that hasn’t even happened yet.” Mariah’s head fell into her hands as she shook it back and forth. “I am so new to this, I just want to make sure we are okay. I was going to ask you to move in with me when you get back from the tour.”

Tessa smiled, “You want to live together?”

“Well, I didn’t see any reason in you keeping your apartment while you were on tour, and I thought when you get back it would be the perfect opportunity to take our relationship to the next level, so…moving in together seemed like the logical choice.” Mariah matter-of-factly stated.

“It sounds so planned, so list like.” Tessa frowned. “Do you want to live with me?”

“I do.” Mariah smiled. “I’m sorry if it sounded like I was following a plan, I just…I am having trouble with saying what I feel.”

Tessa slid across the couch and took Mariah’s hands in hers. She looked deep into her eyes and smiled that crooked little grin.

“Mariah Copeland, I would be honored to move in with you. I love you and want nothing more than to move our lives forward. I get that you have trouble expressing your emotions, so let me show you how happy I am.”

Tessa leaned in and took Mariah’s lips with her own, kissing her with passion and love, she let her tongue tease the red-heads bottom lip. Mariah moaned into the kiss and let her hands find their way to Tessa’s hair, pulling her hard against her.

“I think maybe we should move this to the bedroom.” Tessa said breathlessly.

Mariah pushed up off the couch and led her girlfriend down the hall, “Move this to our bedroom.” She said as she pushed open the door.

“I like the sound of that.” Tessa swung Mariah around. “Now let’s get you undressed before we get into our bed.”

“With pleasure.” Mariah laughed.

Tessa began to slowly undress Mariah, taking her time to reveal every inch of skin on the red-head’s body. She dipped her head down and kissed an exposed collar bone, then her shoulder. She dropped the shirt to the floor, her fingers finding bare skin at Mariah’s waist.

“I love worshipping your body.” Tessa said with a deep husky voice. “I love kissing each freckle. Letting my fingers find each inch of exposed skin to trace a path to the prize you have waiting for me.”

Mariah moaned, as Tessa began unzipping her grey dress pants. She slid her fingers into Tessa’s hair, as Tessa kissed her stomach, sliding the pants down as she did. Gliding her fingertips up Mariah’s legs, she slipped past her underwear and headed for the soft round breasts still being hidden behind a lace bra. With one hand, Tessa deftly unhooked the bra, sliding the straps down Mariah’s arms and exposing beautiful round flesh.

Pushing Mariah into a sitting position on the edge of the bed, Tessa grinned. “I want you to sit there, and not move, while I undress for you.”

Tessa let her hands wander to the hem of her t-shirt she was wearing, crossing her arms in front of her she took the shirt within her grasp. Slowly raising the shirt to expose the flat toned stomach underneath. She slowly moved upwards with the shirt, revealing a lace bra holding in the firm mounds underneath. The shirt dropped to the floor and Mariah smiled.

“You are killing me woman.” Mariah fidgeted with her hands, as she watched. Wanting to touch her girlfriend’s bare skin and help her finish undressing.

“You will get your reward.” Tess laughed.

Gradually, Tessa’s hands began unbuttoning her Levi’s. She slowly unbuttoned each button, revealing a pair of red cotton bikini briefs underneath. As the pants dropped to the floor, Tessa slid her feet out of the slip-on vans she had worn that day and stepped out of her jeans. Barefoot and clad only in a bra and panties, Tessa turned and backed up to Mariah.

“Maybe you can undo the fasten for my bra.”  Tessa smiled slyly over her shoulder. “But no touching anything else, or I will delay the satisfaction even more.

Mariah reached up and let her fingers fumble with the latches holding the bra together. She slid each hook out individually, taking her time as her fingers traced the bra as it released its hold.

Tessa stepped forward and turned, she slipped the straps down her shoulders slowly, holding the cups against her breasts as she did so. Leaning forward, she let the bra fall, revealing its contents. Mariah sighed, she never knew how happy a person could make her, but right now her heart was filled with joy for this woman standing before her almost naked.

“Now, stand up for me.” Tessa beckoned Mariah closer.

Tessa pulled Mariah to her and spun her around. Letting her thumbs glide under the elastic for Mariah’s underwear, she began to work the lace down Mariah’s legs. Tessa kissed her way down Mariah’s back sending shivers up Mariah’s spine. Reaching the firm round buttocks of Mariah’s backside, Tessa nipped at each mound before dropping the panties to the floor.

Standing up, she gently pushed Mariah back to a sitting position and began sliding off her own underwear. After they had successful joined the pile of clothes on the floor, Tessa walked leisurely towards Mariah, her hands touching her own flesh.

“Why don’t you lay down for me.” Tessa said. Mariah slid back on the bed laying down.

Tessa worked her way up Mariah’s body, letting the flesh of each woman trace paths of hot lust until Tessa was hovering above Mariah’s mouth with her own.

“I love you with all my heart Mariah, and now I’m going to show you.” Tessa whispered as their lips met in a sweet kiss.

Tessa’s lips moved to Mariah’s ear lobe, where she nipped gently before moving down her neck to her shoulder. She kissed her way across Mariah’s chest letting her mouth hover as she exhaled on one pert bud. She took it into her mouth, sucking and nibbling as she moved her free hand to Mariah’s waist. Mariah’s hands instinctively went to Tessa’s hair, holding her against her breast and moaning softly.

Tessa made her way to the other nipple before kissing her way down Mariah’s stomach. Sliding her body flat against Mariah’s, she let her breast sit between Mariah’s legs, touching the soft round mound of flesh that hid between them. Gliding her hand under Mariah’s waist, she raised her hips against her.

Kissing the skin on Mariah’s hipbones, Tessa moved across Mariah’s stomach and slowly down to her ultimate prize. She blew a warm breath on swollen lips, awaiting her arrival. With one quick flick of her tongue, Mariah opened up to her. Tessa began working Mariah’s clit, sucking and licking until it was too much for Mariah to handle. The explosion that rocked Mariah’s body was the biggest she had ever had. Her body shook against Tessa’s mouth, as she withdrew and made her way up Mariah’s body.

Kissing her girlfriend, Tessa pulled her tight against her. The naked flesh of each woman pressed against the other.

“Are you okay?” Tessa asked, as Mariah lay there breathing heavily.

Mariah began to cry, the tears rolling down her cheeks.

“What is it?” Tessa asked, concerned she had done something wrong.

“I’ve just never felt so loved. I’ve never felt so much joy and peace. I have never felt so safe.” Tears rolled down Mariah’s cheek as Tessa gently kissed them away. “I love you Tessa.”

“I love you to my darling Mariah. Let’s just lay here and hold each other. I am so happy we found each other.” Tessa pulled Mariah tighter against her.

The two women drifted off to a peaceful sleep as they held each other. Mariah felt that nothing could take this feeling away from her, and she was over come with the safety of it. She was overcome with love.


	8. Distance Makes...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Distance can put a lot of stress on a relationship, will Mariah be able to handle it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is short, I'm sorry, it is a transition chapter of sorts. Love you guys.

 

 

It had been a week since Tessa left to go on tour. Mariah had managed to catch her on the phone for a total of thirty minutes a day. It didn’t seem like much time, considering before Tessa left, they were together all their free time.

Mariah was worried, but she wasn’t going to voice that concern to Tessa. It was important for her to be supportive of Tessa’s career. And right now, Tessa’s career involved lots of practicing, writing, generally being a superstar, and playing to the fans. Today was the day though, there was no concert today, they had just arrived at the hotel and Mariah was hoping to catch her for a good long talk.

Mariah got comfortable on the couch with a glass of wine, her comfy green afghan and her pajamas. She FaceTimed Tessa, the phone rang several times, then she heard the familiar sound that meant Tessa had picked up.

“Hey babe.” Mariah said as the camera jiggled, Pepper coming into view.

“Hey Mariah, Tessa’s in the shower, hold on.” Pepper headed to the bathroom, the phone dropping to her side, allowing Mariah a full view of the room. The first thing that struck her, was there was only one bed. The second, was that the bed was unmade.

In the background, Mariah could hear Pepper calling out to Tessa. Tessa who was singing, their song.

“Hey babe, Mariah’s on the phone, what do you want me to do?” Pepper opened the bathroom door. The shower was running, and it was obvious that Tessa was inside.

Before Tessa could respond, Mariah hung up. She had seen enough to realize what had gone on. She was being cheated on, and they weren’t even hiding it. Mariah curled up on the couch and began to cry. Her phone began to ring, it was Tessa. Mariah hit the button to send it to voicemail.

She lay there, tears streaming down her face, wondering how she could be so wrong. How could she be so foolish? How could she think that Tessa was the one? The phone rang again, it was Tessa. Mariah sent it to voice mail and blocked the number.

The rest of the evening Mariah lay in bed drifting in and out of sleep, dreaming of Tessa. Tessa with Pepper, Tessa coming home and trying to fix things, Tessa laughing at her behind her back. Mariah was living a nightmare. Even when she was awake, her thoughts were nightmares.

The next morning, she got ready for work, and headed in to Hamilton-Winters. Not looking forward to putting on the brave face of someone, or be required to discuss her girlfriend, or ex-girlfriend, she wasn’t even sure what they were at this point.

Sitting down in her office, she checked her voice mail. Twelve messages, the first two were from other assistants confirming appointments for their bosses with Devon, the next ten were Tessa.

“Mariah, I don’t know what happened, but you have me worried. Why aren’t you answering your phone? I was in the shower when you called, I tried calling back, please call me when you get this.” Beep.

“Mariah, I called your phone again, did you block my number. I don’t understand sweetie, what happened? Please call me so we can talk this out?” Beep.

“Mariah, I talked to Pepper, I think I know what happened. She told me it was a FaceTime call and it is possible that you saw the single bed in our room, and then me being in the shower and Pepper walking in. Nothing is going on between us, you have to trust me…” Beep.

“I love you Mariah. Please call me.” Beep.

There were several other messages begging to let her explain, and Mariah listened to everyone with tears streaming down her face. She was so absorbed with listening to the messages, she didn’t even realize Devon and Hilary had walked into the office.

“Mariah?” Devon asked, as she sat with the phone to her ear, her face red and covered in tears. “Are you okay?”

Mariah hung up the phone, wiped the tears from her face and put on a fake smile. “I’ll be fine. Sorry about that.”

“You might want to pull yourself together this is a place of business.” Hilary snarked.

“Do you have business here today?” Mariah asked, disarming Hilary who stared in disbelief as Mariah snarked back at her. “Because as far as I can tell, you just come in to give me a shit and take up Devon’s time.”

Devon, caught between a smile and a frown, put his hand on Hilary’s shoulder.

“Maybe I should walk you out. We can meet after lunch about the show.” Devon led Hilary from the room, Mariah broke down crying once again.

As Devon returned, he pulled up a chair close to Mariah. “What is going on?”

“I called Tessa last night, FaceTimed actually, and the room her Pepper were in was a single, the bed was disheveled, and Tessa was in the shower. Pepper called her babe and took her the phone. I hung up and haven’t talked to her since. She left ten messages here. I just listened to them. I don’t know what to do.”

“Well, you are going to have to talk to her.”  Devon patted Mariah’s shoulder. “You have to give her a chance to explain or at least ask what really happened. You could be jumping to conclusions.”

“It doesn’t feel that way at all. The two of them in a single room, Tessa in the shower, Pepper walking in calling her babe, it feels like I’m being played.” Mariah sniffled as she sat staring at her hands. “I think you are right though. I need to talk to her, if at least to break it off.”

“Don’t do something rash. Let her talk.” Devon responded.

“I’ll give her a chance.” Mariah said

The phone rang, and Mariah cleared her throat to answer it.

“Hamilton-Winters Group, Mariah speaking.” She answered

“Mariah.” Tessa voice was soft and questioning.

“Tessa I’m at work this isn’t a good time.” Mariah said harshly.

“When is a good time, I need to figure out what happened.” Tess asked

“Give me thirty minutes, I’ll call you back.”  Mariah hung up the phone without waiting for a response.

“I’m going to go to the rooftop bar and find a quiet place and call her back. Do you think that will be okay?” Mariah asked Devon as he nodded his approval.

“Give her a chance to talk too.” Devon added. “You are angry, and anger isn’t the best judge of character.”

Mariah grabbed her purse and headed to the rooftop bar, she ordered a juice smoothie and found a place in the corner where no one would disturb her. After her smoothie was delivered, she sat for a second gathering her thoughts. She had to be smart about this. Not let her emotions control everything. She would listen, and judge what she could and couldn’t believe.

Mariah took her phone, and dialed Tessa’s cell. The phone rang once.

“Mariah?” Tessa voice was soft and afraid.

“Yes.” Mariah said a bit angrily.

“I don’t know what happened. I promise it isn’t what you think.” Tessa tried explaining.

“Did you share a bed?” Mariah asked.

“Yes, but…” Tessa started to explain.

“Did she go into the bathroom while you were showering and call you babe?” Mariah was in no mood for explanations that could be manipulated in anyway.

“Yes.” Tessa responded, not trying to explain this time.

“Then I don’t see how I could be confused about what happened.” Mariah retorted

“Nothing happened.” Tessa tried to explain. “It was just an unfortunate set of circumstances that when put together look really bad.”

“They look like you cheated.” Mariah responded, tears already starting to fall down her cheeks again.

“Mariah, I promise, nothing happened.” Tessa tried again. “The hotel screwed up, and we slept in the same bed, but nothing happened.”

Mariah paused, wanting to believe her. Her heart screamed out to believe her, but her mind was definitely not buying it.

“I think we should take a break.” Mariah said. “We can talk when you get back off tour, and you are free to do whatever you want, as am I.”

Mariah hung up the phone without wanting any other explanation. She sat drinking her smoothie, wiping the tears from her face. Whether this is what she wanted or not, she felt betrayed, and her mind kept telling her she did the right thing. Her heart was not as sure.


	9. Emergency Exit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Devon flies out to meet with Tessa to discuss her career and her relationship.

 

 

It had been twenty days since Mariah had told Tessa they should take a break. She sat at her desk, doing the work she did every day. Searching for new talent, scanning the videos on YouTube for anything worth checking out.

She flipped through the videos without even thinking, that is when it popped up. A fan had posted a video of Tessa in concert in Nashville. There she was singing, guitar in hand, playing along to one of the other songs they had written together. Pepper came over to share the mic, harmonizing with her. Tessa didn’t smile, she sang and played, that was all.

This was not the Tessa she remembered. The Tessa she knew loved every piece of music that she had made. She played with pride, her smile infectious. She sounded amazing, but something else was missing.

Devon walked in the office with Hilary in tow.

“Is that Tessa?” He asked.

“Yes, a fan posted a video from Nashville.” Mariah continued letting it play as Devon came and watched over her shoulder.

“Something is off.” Devon said. “She seems…” Not finishing the sentence, he walked over to his desk. Sitting down he shuffled through his calendar. “Make me a reservation in Dallas at the hotel the band is in. Call and make sure the jet is ready to go. I’m going to go catch up with Tessa and see if something is off live. She has 2 more concerts before this tour ends and they are both in Dallas. So, make the arrangements and clear my schedule.”

Devon stood up and grabbed his briefcase. “I’m going to head home and pack. Hilary, you will have to live without me for a couple of days, I hope you don’t mind.” He leaned in and kissed his wife.

Devon left the office as the video of Tessa finished up on the screen. Hilary stood in the doorway watching Mariah as Mariah tried not to cry for the billionth time.

“Can I say something?” Hilary asked.

“Can I stop you?” Mariah replied.

“Not really, no.” Hilary moved to a chair across from Mariah and sat down. “You have a very poor dating history.”

“Well thanks, this is uplifting.” Mariah mumbled.

“I watched how you were with Tessa, and how she was with you. Let me tell you from experience, when you find something that good, that pure, you don’t give up. You fight. So there is another woman in the picture. Why would you let that stop you from fighting for the first person who has made you feel as deeply as you feel for Tessa?” Mariah sat back and put her hands together in a teepee shape. “You have always been smart, and feisty. You are an attractive woman, and as much as I hate to admit it, you are a really great person. Anyone would be stupid not to want to be with you. And if you ever tell anyone I said this, I’ll deny it with every ounce of my being.”

Mariah sat dumbfounded. Staring at Hilary who seemed to be having an out of personality experience.

“Thank you?” Mariah said questioningly. “I appreciate your perspective. I just don’t know if she wants me.”

“That video tells me everything I need to know, she is miserable, and it isn’t because she is on tour living her dream. It is because of you.” Hilary stood up. “Now what are you going to do about it.”

Hilary walked out of the office leaving Mariah to her own thoughts.

Mariah replayed the video and sat watching as the woman sang into the microphone. Hilary was right. Something seemed off. She smiled, but not the smile that Mariah was used to. She sang, but her voice felt as if it was flat, not in the pitch sense, but flat emotionally.

Mariah quickly called the hotel in Dallas and made reservations for Devon, getting the best suite they had available. She then called the airport liaison, letting them know that Devon would be ready to fly to Dallas around one. She called the car company they normally used in Dallas and set up a car for him for the duration of his trip, which Mariah assumed would be two days.

When Mariah had finished, she watched the video a third time, she caught a slight flinch as Pepper stepped up to the microphone next to her to harmonize. Tessa was unhappy. Mariah had avoided every call and every text Tessa had sent over the last few weeks. She had simply deleted the voicemails without listening. She was curious now. Curious as to what she had said. She knew her phone kept voicemails in a deleted folder for thirty days

Mariah searched through the folder finding the first deleted voicemail and began listening to them one by one. Tears streaming down her face, she sat and listened to every plea, every I love you, and every I’m sorry until she felt she couldn’t take it anymore. She had made a terrible mistake.

 

 

 

Tessa sat in the hotel room alone. The phone rang, and like it had every time, she got her hopes up it was Mariah. It was Devon instead.

“I’m here, meet me in the hotel bar.” Devon said abruptly and hung up the phone.

Tessa stood up fear flooding her body. Had she done something wrong? Had hurting Mariah cost her the record deal she was working so hard to hold on to? She grabbed her purse and headed for the elevator. She had no idea what this was about, but there was only one way to find out, and she was going to bite the bullet and get it over with.

As she walked into the bar, she saw Devon in the corner, a tablet on the table in front of him. He motioned for her to come over to the table, a slight smile on his face.

“I didn’t know you were coming to town.” Tessa said.

“Well after seeing this, I thought I might need to check in on you.” Devon slid the tablet over to Tessa.

It was a video of her singing on stage in Nashville. She knew immediately what was wrong. She had no emotion. All the joy and emotion she put into her music was gone when she sang a song that she and Mariah wrote together.

“I’m sorry. I’ll try and do better.” Was all Tessa could say.

“I don’t think that is going to work.” Devon responded.

“Are you going to fire me?” Tessa looked up to see Devon’s face light up in a smile.

“No, I am not going to fire you for being sad.” Devon took the tablet back and turned it off. He motioned for the waiter to come over to their table and they both ordered a drink. “We need to figure out how to fix this.”

“Well, I don’t know how to fix this, Mariah broke up with me and she isn’t taking any of my calls or texts.” Tessa’s voice caught as she spoke. “Nothing happened between me and Pepper. Not for her lack of trying, but I love Mariah.”

“The way I understand it, Mariah said she wanted to take a break, not break up with you.” Devon paused as the drinks arrived. “Also, the scene from your room that day…”

“She told you?” Tessa looked down at her hands, which were busy playing with a ring she had on her index finger.

“Mariah and I are friends. I may be her boss, but we have been friends for longer than I’ve been her boss. I understand how something can look one way and actually be another. So why don’t you tell me what happened?”  Devon sat back with his seltzer and lime and waited for Tessa to talk.

“We had just gotten to the hotel. I decided to take a shower, Pepper said she was going to take a nap. We only had one bed, I figured it would be fine since I had absolutely no intention of doing anything other than sleeping in that bed.” Tessa paused and took a sip of her beer. “I got in the shower. Then within minutes there was Pepper with the phone, calling me babe, which she never does and saying Mariah is on the phone.”

“And things kind of snowballed from there?” Devon asked.

“Mariah got the wrong idea. Pepper started flirting harder and more relentlessly. I finally just told her we couldn’t room together any longer and she has been rooming with Luke.” Tessa sat her beer down. “I never did anything with Pepper, and I really can’t even stand to be on stage with her.”

“After the next show, you won’t have to. I’ll find you another bassist, preferably one with boundaries.” Devon looked angered. “Now how do we fix this?” Devon sat thinking as Tessa watched him.

“I have no clue.” Tessa added. “She doesn’t want to talk to me.”

“Believe me she does, it is just her stubborn nature that is winning right now. So, we need to figure out a way to make her have to talk to you.” Devon sat up straight, sitting his drink down. “Stay here, I need to make some phone calls.”

Tessa watched as Devon crossed the bar and out into the lobby. He headed for the front desk. She watched as he talked for several minutes to the desk clerk, then a tall rather fastidious man came around and shook Devon’s hand, they headed back to a room where Tessa could no longer watch.

Tessa sat staring out the window at the downtown Dallas skyline. It was that magic hour right before the sun was completely gone, the reds, oranges and yellows playing off the reflective surfaces of the buildings. She sat and wondered if she would ever get to enjoy a moment like this with Mariah.

Finishing her beer, she motioned for another as she sat waiting for Devon, who emerged moments later and made his way back to the table.

“Okay, here is the deal. I have you booked for some press tomorrow. So, you’ll need to bring a guitar and yourself, the band will not be doing any of the press with you. Then at tomorrow night’s show, I have set up a live webcast for a local blogger who will interview you afterword. I’m going to fly Mariah in tomorrow to help with the press, and the interview.” Devon paused. “You have the second concert on Friday, so that gives you one whole day off to rectify all of this with Mariah. I’m giving you two my suite. I’m going to fly back, with the band. Friday’s show is going to be acoustic. I have set up a local guitarist to accompany you. He will be by in an hour to run through the playlist with you. He is good, it won’t take much.”

Tessa sat in awe as Devon had managed to change all of this and set it all up in less than an hour.

“How did you do all of that in under an hour?” Tessa asked.

“To be completely honest, I had some of the press set up from the plane. I wanted to get you out there a little bit, since you are about to go home for an undetermined amount of time. We need the press to carry over the sales from the concerts. The musician owed me a favor. The concierge is handling the hotel stuff. And I’m about to go call Mariah and tell her I need her here to run the press circuit with you. She may be mad, but it is her job.” Devon stepped away and turned back. “I’ll send the guitarist to you at the table here, so sit tight. Just don’t’ get drunk.” He laughed as he walked away.

Tessa sat in the bar for about an hour before an older gentleman a little less than clean shaven headed her way. He slid into the chair and motioned for the waiter. Tessa sat in awe.

“You’re Vince Carr?” Tessa asked.

“That I am.” Vince answered.

“You played with Stevie Ray Vaughan. You’ve been on Austin City Limits. You are a legend.” Tessa sat staring at the guitarist who ordered a beer and smiled politely as the young musician fan girled.

“I’m just a guy with a guitar.” Vince said. “Now, I hear we are doing an acoustic set at the Live Oak. That should be fun.”  

“Yeah the band is playing Club DaDa tomorrow night, then you and I are doing Live Oak acoustic the next night.” Tessa said. “If you are the guitarist Devon told me about, I mean.”

“Yeah that is me. So, tell me about your music.” Vince sipped his beer and leaned back in his chair.

“Well most of the songs were written with my girlfriend. I have a few I wrote by myself before she and I started writing together. This is my first album and first tour. I play mostly guitar, but I have one song that I like to play the piano, so if we can get it, I’d like to do that one on piano with you playing the guitar part.”

“Live Oak has a piano.” Vince responded. “Why is that one important?”

“It was the first song we wrote together, Mariah and me. It has a special melody that reminds me of her, and her voice reminds me of the luster of the tones created by piano keys.” Tessa smiled. “She will be there, and I want it to be special.”

“Well, then, we should get to it. Do you have sheet music?” Vince asked.

“Yes, but I have a feeling, that you will put your own spin on it, and I am very excited about that.” Tessa laughed. “I have seen you play before. I can’t believe I’m going to get to play with you.”

“Well like I said, I’m just a guy with a guitar.”  Vince smiled finished his beer and sat the empty bottle down.

Tessa jumped to her feet and the two headed up to her room to start preparing for the concert that would change her life.


	10. Not What I Signed Up For

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mariah flies out to Dallas for Tessa last shows and a frantic press tour. Could Devon's plan to bring them back together work?

 

 

Mariah received the phone call from Devon Wednesday evening telling her to call a temp to answer the phones at the office and to fly out to Dallas. He needed her to be the liaison between Tessa and the press for a press junket Thursday and to be the liaison for a web blogger who was going to live stream the concert Thursday night. She was not happy about it, but she packed her bag made the phone calls and woke up early the next morning to catch the private jet Devon had sent back for her.

This was the first time she had flown on his private jet, and she decided it would be fine to have a couple of mimosas on the way. She hadn’t considered that the altitude of the plane and her not having breakfast would affect her so much. So, as she stumbled off the plane to the car waiting for her, she told the driver to find the nearest Starbucks that she needed a triple espresso and she needed it stat.

Arriving at the hotel, she was met in the lobby by Devon who instructed her to leave her bags with the concierge, that Tessa would be meeting them shortly to go to the venue’s in which she had interviews.

As Tessa stepped off the elevator, Mariah’s heart sank. She looked amazing. Her dark hair framing her perfect skin, her amber eyes shining bright as she smiled across the lobby. She had chosen to wear one of her many shoulder-less tops, this one, in red, just happened to be Mariah’s favorite. Her jeans fit like they had been special made for her, and she walked with the confidence that she knew she looked good.

“Hi Mariah.” Tessa smiled as she greeted her.

Mariah stood dumbfounded for a moment, unsure which action to take the anger route or the oh my god you look like I want to rip your clothes off and take you in the lobby of this very expensive hotel.

“Hi Tessa.” Mariah finally managed to mumble.

“Well you two have a big day ahead of you.” Devon said, handing both women a sheet of paper. “These are your appearances. There is a car to take you to all of them. The first one is a morning show, they just want a song and for you to hype the two events you have here in Dallas this week. The rest, Mariah will do the research on and bring you up to date. Be yourself and work together. I need you two to be a team on this no matter what is going on between you.”

“Yes Boss.” The girls said in unison, looking at each other with a smile. Mariah broke first and turned and began heading to the front doors where the car was waiting. Tessa followed behind guitar case in hand.

“Hey.” Tessa said from behind. “Can we talk?”

“We have a lot on our plate today, maybe we can make time later to discuss whatever it is you feel we need to talk about.” Mariah responded curtly.

“We need to talk about us.” Tessa insisted.

“We need to get through this day without one of us getting angry or…hurt.” Mariah slid into the backseat of the car waiting for Tessa to put her guitar in the trunk and get in the car herself.

Tessa slid in beside her as the driver got in and pulled away from the hotel.

“Nothing happened.” Tessa said.

“So, this morning show, have you decided what song to play?” Mariah asked, not letting the comment get to her.

“Our song.” Tessa replied.

“Choose something a little more upbeat, it will be better to get the audience going in the morning.” Mariah stared at the itinerary.

“Okay.” Tessa responded, her head hung low. “I know you are mad, but can we at least talk at some point today.”

“Yes.” Mariah flipped the itinerary to the second page. “Tonight, at the concert, I’ll be with the web blogger helping her work her way through his live feed. So, I will need a set list.”

“I’ll get one to you when we get to the club.” Tessa knew this must be killing Mariah as much as it was hurting her.

“You’ll need to talk about the streaming service in your interviews. Talk about the play and airtime your music gets and how Devon is always looking for new acts to bring on board. How the environment at the studio is built around nurturing the music.”

“Okay.”

“Make sure and discuss getting to write your own songs and how he encourages song writers to find their voice.”  Mariah continued. “Try and leave me out as much as possible.”

“But Mariah, three of my biggest hits were written with you. How am I supposed to leave you out of it?” Tessa begged. “I think you deserve the recognition as well.”

“Just say you had some help from a studio employee with some of your songs, that you work well together.” Mariah said that last part as tear fell down her cheek.

“Please let me hold you.” Tessa begged.

Mariah gave in and let Tessa hold her, as she cried for the billionth time.

“I’m sorry.” Tessa said. “I’m sorry I hurt you.”

“I’m sorry I over reacted. I just saw you and her and she called you babe…” Mariah stopped, pulled back and wiped the tears from her eyes.

“Nothing happened.” Tessa interjected. “She tried, but you…you are my love.”

The car stopped in front of the studio. Mariah checked her face in the mirror and slid out of the backseat.

“We need to make it through this day, we will discuss everything later, I promise.”  Mariah marched into the studio as Tessa grabbed her guitar and ran to keep up.

 

The day went pretty smooth. Tessa performed magnificently and the camera loved her. They did a local magazine interview next, then went on a local radio station. By the time they had finished the fourth interview with a representative from South by Southwest, the Austin music festival, Tess had developed a rhythm.

“Okay, we need to get you fed and to the sound check at the club, we are supposed to be there by four and it is 3:30.” Mariah turned to the driver. “Where can we get a cheap fast burger on our way to the club.”

“Well, I’d suggest the Whataburger drive through about a mile from here on our way to the club.”

“Sounds perfect.” Mariah directed him to take them there and then told Tessa to rest while they travelled. “You will need all of your energy.”

After acquiring the best fast food burgers, the two girls had ever eaten, they headed to the club for sound check. Upon arriving, Mariah immediately noticed Pepper on the stage. Mariah decided to take this opportunity to check in at the office with the temp that was answering the phones.

“Hamilton-Winters this is Cynthia how may I help you?” The temp, Cynthia answered the phone as Mariah had left instructions to do.

“Hi Cynthia, it is Mariah, I’m just checking in. Any messages or problems I need to take care of.” Mariah asked.

“I had the checks for the band cut and overnighted to the hotel as Devon asked me to. They should be at the desk first thing in the morning. I had to reschedule an appointment for tomorrow, but I think you’ll be okay with it, I shot you an email about it. Everything else has gone smooth.” Cynthia responded.

“He had you overnight checks for the band?” Mariah asked.

“Yes, because he is sending them home tomorrow. Something about the last gig being an acoustic set.” Cynthia responded.

“Oh okay. Makes sense.” Mariah was still confused, she would have to ask Devon about that. He had not mentioned to her that Tessa’s last gig would be without the band. “I’ll let you go, email me any problems you might have. I should be back tomorrow.”

“Oh really, Devon mentioned you would be gone for the rest of the week.” Cynthia sounded disappointed. “I guess I could be wrong.”

“No probably not. He does stuff sometimes without telling me. Thanks Cynthia, I’ll check in tomorrow.” Mariah hung up the call and stared at her phone. Should she call Devon or just let him get around to telling her.

Right on que, Devon walked into the club with an older gentleman carrying a guitar. Tessa lept off the stage and headed towards them.

“I didn’t know you were bringing Vince by today.” Tessa smiled and hugged the older gentleman.

“I though it might be good for him to see you perform with the band. Do you mind running through a couple of songs?” Devon asked

“Not at all.” Tessa headed back up to the stage. As Mariah made her way to Devon and the gentleman.

“Mariah, this is Vince Carr, he will be playing with Tessa tomorrow night at Live Oak. We are doing an acoustic set, just him and her.” Devon said. “This is Mariah, my assistant and music scout, and I guess song writer now too.”

“Ahhh, the girlfriend.” Vince said, causing Mariah to blush a little.

“This explains why Cynthia said you had her cut checks for the band and overnight them to the hotel. I was completely confused. She also said I’d be staying through the week?” Mariah asked.

“I’m going to need you tomorrow for somethings.” Devon smiled. “And yes, the band will be going home. Including Pepper, who will no longer be working for us.”

“What?” Mariah asked.

“It seems Pepper overstepped her boundaries with Tessa on several occasions and she is lucky she isn’t getting sued for sexual harassment.” Devon smiled. “You two really need to make some time to talk.”

“Well you have had us running all over Dallas doing interviews, it isn’t like we have had a moment to really hash anything out.” Mariah turned to the bar. “I need a drink.”

“That is a girl after my own heart.” Vince said. “Can I join you?”

“Sure, that would be great.” Mariah and Vince made their way to the bar as the band began to play one of the slower songs in the set list. Mariah had helped write this particular song and the words brought back a flood of memories of the her and Tessa in the writer’s lounge going over chords and lyrics.

“You helped write this one, didn’t you?” Vince asked.

“Yes, the lyrics.” Mariah responded.

“You have a keen sense of poetry to your words. I am surprised at how well the two of you write together. It is really hard to song write with another person. Tessa tells me this song took y’all less than a day to finish.” Vince looked impressed as he ordered a whiskey neat.

“We click.” Mariah responded ordering a beer to settle her nerves.

“She talks about you a lot you know.” Vince added. “Not that I’m trying to help fix whatever is broken between you two, just know, that girl doesn’t have eyes for anyone but you.”

Mariah looked up and noticed Tessa staring right at her. The song had changed, it was another they had written, but not their song. Pepper was on stage staring at Tessa as she played. You could see the jealousy in her eyes, the looks of want and there was definitely some anger there as well.

“Why don’t we get a table?” Mariah pointed to a table that was front and center of the stage. “I have a blogger coming to tonight’s show and she will need a good place to film from.”

The bar wasn’t even open yet, but a few of the staff were standing around watching as Tessa made her magic up on stage. Mariah took her seat and smiled brightly back as Tessa sang only to her. Devon made his way over to the table and pulled up a chair.

After several songs, the band took a break as the bar was about to open. Tessa came down to the table where Vince, Devon and Mariah sat.

“How was that boss?” Tessa asked.

“You seem to have your grove back that is for sure.” Devon said as he looked from Tessa to Mariah. Vince just laughed a good hearty raspy laugh.

“You sound good with a full band, but sweetheart, that voice was really made for an acoustical set. We will kill it tomorrow night.” Vince smiled at Tessa as Tessa beamed back at him.

“Thank you so much.” Tessa had turned a little red from embarrassment which made Mariah smile. She always got the cutest grin when she was embarrassed.

“Well, the blogger should be here in a few, so I’m going to go make sure her name is at the door. Also, we might want a moment of your time before you go on stage.” Mariah stood up and walked towards the door before anyone could answer her.

 

“I’m going to fly out tonight.” Devon said to Tessa. “I’m giving you two my suite, but also keeping your room just in case. And I’m going to take the band with me. They were supposed to receive their checks here tomorrow, but I called and cancelled the courier. Their checks will be waiting at the airport. I will tell them after the show, I don’t want anyone messing with the performance.”

“Okay.” Tessa answered.

“You will need to practice with Vince again tomorrow. So, I got him a room at the hotel for tonight. He will travel back to the hotel with you and Mariah, his bag has already been moved to the car. I’m going to go let Mariah know all this.” Devon stood up and walked away towards where Mariah was talking to the guy at the door.

“Your girl is still yours Tess.” Vince said with a smile.

“How do you know?” Tessa asked.

“I watched her watch you sing. She is still yours, just prove to her that you are still hers.” Vince laughed again. “

 

Devon walked up to Mariah and relayed all the information that he had just given Tessa.

“I need you to give her a chance. You need to hear her side. I have heard it.” Devon put his hand on Mariah’s shoulder. “You are one stubborn red-head, and I need you to let down your guard and listen to what Tessa has to say. She loves you.”

Just as Mariah was going to say something, a beautiful dark-haired woman walked in the door stopping at the door man.

“I’m looking for Mariah Copeland.”

“That’s me.” Mariah stepped forward. “You must be Charity, from Muse of the Music.”

“That is me.” Charity reached out her hand as the two women introduced themselves.

“This is Devon Hamilton the owner of LP streaming and Tessa’s manager of sorts.” Mariah introduced Devon.

“May I buy you a drink?” Devon asked. “We have a tab, so feel free to put your drinks on there.”

“Thank you.” Charity said.

“We have a table up front, and I’ll introduce you to Tessa. Let’s get you that drink first.” Mariah led Charity to the bar as Devon returned to the table.

 

“Is that the web blogger?” Tessa asked.

“Yes, her name is Charity.” Devon answered.

“She is beautiful.” Tessa said

Both men simply responded with a “Yes” as they watched the two women at the bar.

 

“What do you drink?” Mariah asked.

“Normally I don’t drink. But tonight, I feel like a beer.” Charity answered

“Two Shiner’s on our tab.” Mariah ordered. “I hope that is fine, that is what I had when we got here.”

“That works perfectly.” Charity said as she turned to take in the empty bar. “So, do you always do press for Tessa?”

“No not normally, I’m Devon’s assistant and a music scout for LP. I bring in new talent for him and lately I’ve written a few songs, well the lyrics anyway.” Mariah added. “Just with Tessa though.”

“So, the rumors are true, she does have a girlfriend?” Charity said as she pointed to the table.

Mariah turned just in time to see Pepper, pull up a chair next to Tessa.

“She did, it was me. That’s Pepper, she is determined to break us up.” Mariah said without thinking. “Oh, please tell me that isn’t going in your blog.”

“As juicy as that kind of gossip is, I don’t think I’ll put it in.” Charity giggled. “You said did?”

“We are on a break, I think. I don’t know really anymore.” Mariah turned red. “Why do I keep telling you this stuff?”

“I’m pretty easy to talk to, people tell me stuff they don’t expect to all the time. But I’ll keep this off the record.” Charity and Mariah made their way over to the table where now Devon, Vince, Tessa and Pepper sat.

“Pepper, I’m going to need you to go back with the band.” Devon said as Pepper threw a little pout his way. “Tessa needs to do the pre-concert interview.”

Pepper stomped away like an indulgent child. While Mariah smiled a really big smile?

“You seemed to enjoy that.” Tessa said with a smile.

“Why yes I did.” Mariah smiled back. “Tessa, this is Charity with the Muse of the Music blog. She will be doing an interview pre and post-concert as well as recording some of the show.”

“Nice to meet you Charity.” Tessa shook the woman’s hand and offered her the chair where she was sitting, while taking the chair Pepper had just vacated.

“Tess do you need anything to drink. Hot Tea?” Mariah asked.

“That would be great thank you.” Tessa smiled back, happy that Mariah was making an effort to not ignore her, and using her nickname she used when she was being sweet.

Mariah headed to the bar to see if she could get some hot water, she had brought some tea packets in her purse, just in case there was no tea at the bar. The bartender said they had musicians in here all the time that requested tea, so they had started carrying all the necessities, including honey.  She requested some lemon from the bar tender as well. The bartender carefully brewed a pot of tea for Tessa, then placed it on a bar tray, along with some lemon slices and the bottle of honey.

“How many cups?” The bartender asked.

“Two, thank you so much.” Mariah carried the tray back over to the table and took the seat next to Tessa’s between her and Devon.

“So, we were just talking about a couple of the songs the two of you wrote together.” Charity smiled as she looked at Mariah.

“Yes, we wrote a few together. I did lyrics with Tessa’s help and she did all the musical arrangements.” Mariah mentioned, as she continued to work on Tessa’s tea.

“You know that one sounds best acoustic.” Vince mentioned from his chair between Charity and Devon. “Maybe we can give her a preview of the acoustic show we are doing tomorrow night?”

“Do you mind Devon?” Tessa asked.

“That would be great, do you mind if I record it?” Charity asked. “It will really help to get some traffic to your show. I mean the fact that Vince Carr is playing will definitely get some traffic there, but the music will more than likely speak for itself.”

Tessa and Vince set up the stage, bringing chairs up and lowering mics. They both sat down and tuned their instruments for a moment, then Tessa looked at Vince and they started.

Mariah stopped what she was doing and turned around. The first few chords of their song, _Right from the Start_ played and her heart soared.

Tessa’s voice was sweet and sultry as ever as she sang the first line.

_The room lit up the moment you walked in_

Mariah smiled. How could she ever doubt this woman? The smile on her face, the love in her eyes. It was everything she remembered. It was everything she fell in love with.

Charity filmed the song with her phone and made notes on a notebook she had carried with her. Devon watched as the talent he had seen in Tessa shone bright upon the stage. Mariah smiled back at the beautiful raven-haired musician that was singing to her. As the song began to finish up, Mariah noticed Pepper standing off stage watching the musicians play. As the song ended, she marched across the stage to Devon.

“So, we are being replaced by the old guy?” Pepper’s temper had finally gotten the best of her.

“Tonight, you will play the show, then you will fly back to Genoa City with me on a private plane, receive your final check and you will be done with this tour.” Devon said patiently. “The only date you won’t play is tomorrow night at the Live Oak. Vince and Tessa are going to do an acoustic set.”

“Then maybe I’ll just take my check now and not play tonight?” Pepper said

“The checks are still in Genoa City and if you don’t play this show and play it to the standards at which you played past shows, you violate your contract and forfeit all payments.” Devon stated. “Now go back stage and get ready, you guys go on in thirty minutes.”

People had already started filtering into the bar. The tables around where they were sitting were quickly filling up, and the crowd was filling into the open space in front of the stage. Tessa and Vince had already descended from the stage and Tessa was sipping her tea as Charity asked Devon questions about LP streaming and what kind of acts he was signing.

Mariah smiled at Tessa and slid her hand down her thigh, causing Tessa to almost choke on her tea. Everyone turned to see a red-faced Tessa spitting tea out her nose as Mariah laughed hysterically.

“Are you okay?” Everyone but Mariah asked who was still laughing.

“I’m fine, just had a funny thought.” Tessa smiled at Mariah, who leaned in to whisper to her.

“I’d really like it if you would join me in the suite tonight so we can talk.” Mariah dropped her voice down to that low rumble that she knew drove Tessa absolutely crazy. “I feel like I may have overreacted, and I’d like to fix this if we can.”

Tessa turned quickly and caught Mariah’s lips with her own, surprising the red-head. She quickly forgot about the bar that was filling up around her and deepened the kiss. The two fit together as if they had never been apart.

Pulling away, Tessa whispered. “I’d really like to join you in your suite tonight, so we can work things out.”  She smiled that half grin that she knew would drive Mariah wild.

The two laughed as everyone at the table stared. Devon smiled, knowing that everything was going to be back on track now.


	11. One Night Only

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Post concert, Mariah and Tessa must decide what they will do. Will there be a answer to their problems?

 

After the concert, the two girls and Vince made their way back to the car to head to the hotel. Vince slid in the front seat next to the driver, allowing the girls to have the backseat to themselves.

“I’m so glad you are here.” Tessa whispered to Mariah as the two gentlemen in the front seat talked about some local sports team.

“I’m glad Devon made me come. I went a little crazy for a while. Everything just kind of spun out of control. I didn’t know how to get it back or if you wanted me back.” Mariah ducked her head as she said the last part.

Tessa slid her fingers under Mariah’s chin and raised her head up. “I’ve never wanted anyone but you. There is no other.”

The two girls kissed tenderly, and short. They didn’t want to put on a display for the men in the front seat, though they seemed to be arguing about running backs and quarterbacks.

 

Arriving at the hotel, Mariah helped Vince get checked in, since she was still technically on the job. She picked up the key for her suite and was told her bags had been moved up there and the room had been prepared.

“Prepared?” Mariah asked.

“Yes, to the specifications left by…oh, never mind.” The clerk quickly stopped talking and turned a light shade of pink.

Mariah turned to Tessa, “Well it seems that Devon has planned a surprise for us.”

Saying their goodbyes to Vince and making arrangements for him to come to the suite around noon for lunch and then practice, the girls headed up to the suite and Devon’s surprise.

“I really hope there is food.” Tessa said as her stomach grumbled a little as the got on the elevator.

“If there isn’t, we will order room service.” Mariah smiled. “We will order everything on the menu if necessary.

Stepping out onto their floor, Tessa let her hand gently rest on Mariah’s lower back. Mariah sighed, she had missed that touch. They found their door, and Mariah slid the card into the card reader as the light turned green, she opened the door. 

Inside, there were flowers and champagne, several plates of food set out on a large dinning table. The suite was huge with a bedroom off to the left.

“I wonder if there is a jetted tub.” Tessa said as the girls made their way towards the table filled with food.

“Let’s eat first then we will need to get your stuff from your room.” Mariah said.

“It’s already here.” Tessa pointed to the suitcases sitting next to Mariah’s beside the closet in the bedroom.  

“He really did think of everything.” Devon had planned on the two making a reunion and had planned everything out.

The two women sat down and had dinner together. They drank champagne and ate quietly. Neither one knowing exactly what to say to the other. The meal was decadent, with lots of choices. They ate till they could eat no more and both women sat back in their chairs and sipped the champagne they had been drinking.

“We really should talk.” Tessa was the first to break the silence.

“I know, but I’m so tired, and I really just want to be with you tonight. I don’t want to think about what happened. I don’t want to think about anything but us, here…tonight. In this moment, I just love you and I know you love me. The rest can be worked out.” Mariah sighed. “I know nothing happened. I know I overreacted. Can we just leave that till tomorrow?”

“Yes. I love you and would do anything for you. Let’s just have tonight.” Tessa picked up her phone. Scrolling through her phone she found what she was looking for, she turned on some music, and stood up from the table. “May I have this dance?”

Mariah giggled as she took her hand and the two slid into each other’s arms. The slow jazz Tessa had put on, was the perfect tempo for the two women to slowly move as Mariah rested her head on Tessa’s shoulder.

“This is nice.” Mariah whispered. “I could stay like this forever.”

“Me too.” Tessa kissed the top of Mariah’s head.

“I could use a shower though. I have been up a long time and we both smell like a bar.” Mariah sniffed at the air.

“Why don’t I check out the tub situation and you bring our champagne and some of those strawberries.” Tessa spun Mariah away from her, only to pull her back in for a kiss. The two met with lips locking together, a sweet gentle pre-cursor to the evening that would unfold.

Tessa headed to the huge bathroom complete with jetted tub that looked like it might could hold four people. She turned on the water, adjusting the temperature to the heat that Mariah loved. A little too hot for Tessa, but Mariah would be in heaven.

Slowly she undressed and slid into the water. She waited for Mariah to arrive with the champagne and strawberries. Leaning her head back, Tessa let the water wash the day off of her. She closed her eyes as the water washed away all the tension built up in her back and shoulders as well as her soul.

After sitting for several minutes, she opened her eyes and was about to call out for Mariah, but she was already there. Standing just inside the door, hands full of contraband, Mariah sat smiling at Tessa nakedness.

“I thought I would never see that beautiful body again.” Mariah said from the door. “I thought I would only have my memories to keep me warm.”

“Well this water is plenty warm, why don’t you join me?” Tessa answered, her voice dropping down an octave in the seductive way that made Mariah tremble from the inside.

Mariah sat the glasses and the bucket on the ledge of the tub. She sat the strawberries at the other end. Taking her time, she slowly began undoing the tie in the front of her dress. The emerald green dress was very low cut, and the tie in the front was more for show than to hold it together. After she let the belt drop to the floor, Mariah began unbuttoning the dress. After each button, she would look up and smile at Tessa who was smiling bigger than she had ever seen.

As the dress slid off Mariah’s shoulders, Tessa realized she was not wearing a bra, and was only clad in her emerald green lacey bikini cut panties. Hooking her thumbs into the sides, Mariah slid them down slowly, staring Tessa in the eyes the whole time.

Tessa shifted in the tub, spreading her legs. “Come sit in front of me, I’ll wash your hair and back.”

Mariah complied sliding in the warm water and resting her back against Tessa’s bare chest. Tessa’s hands slid up Mariah’s arms, moving her hair to the side so she could plant tender kisses on her neck and shoulder.

“I love having you here with me. I have missed you so much.” Tessa whispered as she got to Mariah’s ear, nibbling gently at the lobe. Mariah let out a sigh as she turned her body in the giant tub and captured Tessa’s lips. Begging for entry, Mariah let her tongue glide against Tessa’s bottom lip.

The two women held each other close, hands not wandering, just kissing and holding on.

After a few minutes, Tessa pulled away. “I was serious about washing your hair. Turn back around before we get too distracted.”

“You were the one that started it.” Mariah laughed.

Tessa cupped her hands and began wetting Mariah’s hair very slowly. She would run her fingers through the red locks, saturating them with water. After sufficiently wetting her hair, she reached for the small bottle of hotel shampoo. She lathered up Mariah’s hair and began massaging her scalp.

“Oh, that feels good.” Mariah moaned.

Tessa grabbed a wash cloth and began pouring water over Mariah’s lathered hair. She rinsed and rinsed the thick locks, but the suds just keep coming.

“You may have to dunk your head.” Tessa said.

Mariah slid slowly down Tessa’s body, her back touching every inch of skin on the way down. Till her head was submerged between Tessa’s legs underwater. She ran her fingers through her hair, making sure to graze the round mound between Tessa’s thighs in the process. Tessa could feel the electricity with each touch. Mariah slid her head out of the water, resting her head on Tessa’s stomach.

“Do you think you can wash my front for me?” Mariah seductively asked.

Tessa grabbed a wash cloth and some body wash and began lathering it up. She started slowly with the front of Mariah’s shoulder working her way down her arm to her finger tips which she washed individual, pulling lightly on each one. She then did the other arm and the flat area between Mariah’s shoulders. Taking her time, she began washing the plump round breasts that lay before her. She lathered each one, working the wash cloth under and around until reaching the pert bud that sat on top.

Tessa urged Mariah to move up a little, as she began to wash her stomach. She took particular interest in the soft skin between her hip bone and the already swelling lips awaiting her. Tessa took the wash cloth in on hand, bringing it back up to Mariah’s breast, while letting her other hand slip in between the folds of Mariah’s lower lips. Mariah moaned, and Tessa kissed her neck in response. Mouth moving against the soft flesh of Mariah’s throat, Tessa let her hands work magic on the pert bud of her breast and the bundle of nerves between her lips. Mariah moved her hips against Tessa’s hand, her body tensing as the pressure began to build.

Tessa slowed the pressure, and began kissing Mariah’s neck softer, nipping at her ear lobe before switching sides. As Mariah moaned, Tessa increased the speed with her right hand, making Mariah scream out and quiver against her.

“I think maybe we should get you to bed.” Tessa said between neck kisses.

“I’m not sure I can actually walk.” Mariah smiled as she turned her body in the tub to face Tessa. She slid in for a kiss, letting her hand slide in between Tessa’s legs.

“Well, you seem to be….oh.” Tessa stopped talking as Mariah’s lips found hers and her hand found the sensitive little mound between her legs.

Moving her body so that she was pressed against Tessa, Mariah moved against her as her hand moved against Tessa clit. Biting Tessa’s bottom lip, Mariah slid herself down to find a pert nipple waiting for her. She took it in her mouth and began to work it in time with her fingers. Flicking her tongue, she felt the pressure building inside of Tessa. It had been too long since the two of them had been together, this was going to be quick…and big.

As Mariah switch breasts, Tessa’s hands found their way to her wet hair. She pulled hard against her begging for release. Mariah complied, letting her fingers move around and down the bundle of nerves, making the perfect motion to elicit a slew of profanity from Tessa as she shook against Mariah’s body.

Mariah slid back up Tessa’s body finding her soft lips, kissing them tenderly, she encircled her with her arms, holding her tight.

“I have missed you so much.” Mariah whispered. “Let’s get to bed.”

Mariah found towels for both of them. Drying off, the women slipped into bed unclothed, sliding into each other holding on tight.

“I don’t ever want to let you go again.” Tessa said. “My heart and my love will always be yours.”

The two women fell asleep, knowing that whatever life threw at them, they were going to be able to tackle it now.


	12. Home is Where You Are

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tessa's last concert on her tour is bound to be the biggest, and Mariah is there to see her through

 

The next morning the girls woke early and ordered room service for breakfast. After eating they decided to crawl back in bed and re-enact last nights scene without the water. They took their time, exploring each other’s bodies. They enjoyed each other’s company, laughing, loving, and even talking a bit about the happenings of the last few weeks.

“I just saw her with your phone, and she said babe, I lost it.” Mariah said.

“She did it on purpose. She figured if she could drive a wedge between us, that I would use her to work out my hurt feelings. I never touched her. She tried, I finally had to tell her to room with one of the guys. Devon is firing her you know?” Tessa added.

“Not that I ever want anyone to get fired, but good. She was a snake in leather pants and blond hair.” Mariah made a nasty face.

“Mariah, I love you like I have never loved anyone. I know that in my past I have been a love them and leave them sort of person, but you feel like home to me. I want to be with you and when I’m not with you, I feel like a piece of me is missing.” Tessa smiled a half grin. “You are my Mariah and I don’t want you to ever forget that.”

“I love you too.” Mariah smiled as they kissed, resting the foreheads together after words and just being close. “We need to get ready, Vince will be here soon.”

The two women showered and dressed. Tessa in black leather pants and a red sleeveless top. Mariah in a little black dress with red cherries all over the fabric. The dress flared at the bottom showing off her toned calf muscles and enticing Tessa to want to follow those muscles up to her thighs.

“We can’t right now.” Mariah said. “Plus, we have to pack, we catch a plane after the concert and fly back to Genoa City.”

There was a knock at the door. Tessa ran over and opened it, letting Vince into the suite.

“Wow, y’all got some nice digs.” Vince laughed. “And by the looks of it, you two have sorted everything out.”

“Yes.” The girls said in unison.

“I’m going to run down to the gift shop and see if I can find something for Faith and Christian. If you order food, order me a burger and fries. You know how I like it.” Mariah winked at Tessa as she said this. She smiled and walked out the door with her purse.

“Okay this is perfect. I want to plan a surprise for her, and I didn’t know how I was going to get rid of her to tell you.” Tessa smiled. “I want to play the first song I ever sang to her. The first night she came to see me at the Wet Whistle in Genoa City.”

The two worked for a short time covering the song, they finally got it the way Tessa wanted it. They then began practicing the rest of the set list. Mariah came back with a bag in hand. She had found a Dallas teddy bear and a cute hat for Christian and a t-shirt and sunglasses for Faith.

Mariah listened for a while, as the two musicians worked in perfect harmony to achieve something that was very different than what Tessa had achieved with the band last night. It was better in a way, it was like her world lived in that guitar and it was being set free as she strummed every chord. Vince was a master of his art, his fingers deftly playing the strings of his instrument like a ballerina performing swan lake.

After a few songs, the two decided to rest and order food. They all got burgers and fries and talked about all the amazing places that Vince had played. He was something of a big deal, and Mariah was unaware that he had been and played so many places and with so many famous people. That explained the look of awe when Tessa watched him play.

After the food, they all decided to get ready to head over to the Live Oak and have a drink and do the sound check. They met down stairs and checked out of their rooms, the bell boy handling their luggage to the car that Devon had arranged for them to take to the venue and then to the airport.

As they arrived at the Live Oak, Mariah was astonished to see a line around the front of the club. The header on the billboard said, Tessa Porter featuring Vince Carr in acoustic performance.

“I wonder if they are here for you or me?” Tessa said to Vince.

Charity walked up as they were heading to the door. “They are here for you kid.” She smiled and hugged Mariah. “You think you can get me in tonight. I don’t want to miss this.”

“Sure, you can sit at my table, that way I’m not alone.” They made their way to the door man announcing who they were and were immediately let in and met by the club owner and manager.

“We are really excited to have you two here tonight. It seems your debut on Muse of the Music has been getting quite the response.” The manager Mike said.

“Well, let me introduce you to the Muse, Charity.” Mariah introduced Charity to manager and owner.

“You are going to have a permanent spot on our list here now. If you can generate this much attention, we want you here as often as possible.” The owner Gary said.

“Thank you. Tonight, I’m just here as a fan, but I am sure that I will write something about this. I also brought the good camera to get some footage, possibly.” Charity smiled as she pulled out a nice video camera to film the concert.

“Well, drinks are on the house and we have a table set up for you right over there. I set up the stage to Devon’s specifications. Y’all ready for a sound check.” Mike asked.

“Yes, I’m going to need a pot of tea with lemon and honey.” Tessa said.

“I’m gonna need a whiskey neat.” Vince laughed.

“I’ll get everything ready for you two, you go get set up on the stage.” Mariah and Charity made their way to the bar getting all the necessities for the performers, and a couple of beers for themselves.

“I really like this Shiner Bock.” Mariah said. “I’m not normally a beer drinker but this is pretty good stuff.”

Charity and Mariah found the table assigned to them close to the front. Sound check was quick, and Vince and Tessa returned to the table to have their drinks. The conversation was light hearted and easy, the club owner came over and offered a bottle of champagne for the table. The doors were opened, and the club filled up quickly. Charity recognized a couple of other bloggers and a reporter from a local Dallas morning news show, who they invited to sit with them. Tessa did some quick press and then it was time to perform.

With a smile, she leaned down and kissed Mariah on the lips. “This first one is for you.”

Mariah smiled, and watched as her beautiful girlfriend took the stage with Vince.

“Hello everyone. Welcome to the Live Oak. I’m Tessa Porter and performing with me tonight is Vince Carr legendary guitarist and Texas native. We will be doing an acoustic set and playing songs from my first album. I’d like to start off though with a song that isn’t mine. This song was the song I was playing when I first saw my now girlfriend back in Genoa City at a tiny bar called the Wet Whistle.” Tessa stopped and smiled.

Vince started, strumming, the song instantly hit Mariah’s ears and she smiled.

_Strumming my pain with her fingers_  
Singing my life with her words  
Killing me softly with her song  
Killing me softly with her song  
Telling my whole life with her words  
Killing me softly with her song

_I heard she sang a good song, I heard she had a style_  
And so I came to see her, to listen for a while  
And there she was, this young girl, a stranger to my eyes

She kept singing, singing to Mariah. The look in her eyes explained everything. She had seen her that night. She had seen the way the song had affected her. And now she was singing it to her again, to remind her from the moment she walked into that bar in Genoa City, right from the start, she was hers.

The rest of the concert was beautiful, two guitars, two voices, and a beautiful amount of soul. Everyone in the bar seemed to enjoy it. The bloggers got plenty of video footage and the guy from the news took several videos with his phone.

“You know she is going to be a big star.” Charity said to Mariah. “You have lots of tours and concerts and long hours you are going to have to deal with over the course of your lifetime.”

Mariah smiled, “Yes, but I get that.” She pointed to Tessa as she finished up the last song in her set.

As Tessa and Vince made their way down to the table, they were stopped by people along the way wanting selfies and autographs. Mariah ordered Tessa and Vince a drink and waited patiently for them to find their way back to the table.

“You were amazing.” Mariah said as Tessa slid into the seat next to her. “I loved that you remembered that first song.”

“How could I forget what I was singing the first time I saw that beautiful red hair and those hazel eyes.” Tessa leaned in and kissed Mariah. “I love you, and always will.”

“We have a plane to catch, but I think you should make the rounds again after your drink and shake as many hands as possible. You will need all the hype to keep you going. Don’t forget to mention LP streaming.” Mariah smiled. “Then we can catch a plane and be alone.”

“That sounds perfect. I’ve never joined the mile-high club.” Tessa laughed as she whispered in Mariah’s ear, causing Mariah to turn deep red.

“I’m not sure what you young ladies are talking about but one of you is a bit red.” Vince said from across the table drawing everyone’s attention to them.

“I’m going to make the rounds. We need to catch a flight soon and I need to shake some hands and take some selfies.” Tessa wondered off, as Mariah sat there red faced.

“Well you two definitely seem to be back on track.” Vince added. “I guess I better be getting out of here, my club days are long past me. It was nice to meet you all and I hope to see you again Miss Mariah.”

Vince leaned down and planted a whiskered kiss on Mariah’s cheek and whispered in her ear. “You have a good one, and she is lucky to have you.”

“Thank you.” Mariah responded.

One by one the people at the table said their goodbyes as Mariah watched Tessa shaking hands, taking selfies, and signing autographs. They made eye contact across the room, Tessa holding up a finger indicating it would only be a minute more.

Gary the owner stopped by and handed Mariah a thumb drive. “We always record our concerts, I thought you might like a copy of tonight’s.”

“Thank you, I’m sure this will come in handy for press and for Devon to see how successful this was.” Mariah shook Gary’s hand and gathered her stuff up.

Making her way across the bar, she waited a minute for Tessa to finish up taking a pic with a couple of women.

“Y’all are a real inspiration to us.” One of the women said

“Us?” Mariah responded.

“Yeah, we met a few weeks ago, and I heard the song “Right From the Start” and it reminds me so much of us. Thank you both for writing it.” The other woman said.

“Well, you are welcome. Inspiration is funny, it comes in so many forms, but this,” Tessa said sliding her arm around Mariah’s waist, “is my favorite form.”

“I’m sorry guys, be we have to catch a plane.” Mariah pulled Tessa away having already asked the driver to pull the car around. “I had the driver put your guitar in the car while you were being famous, we are ready to go.”

The women slid into the back seat and got comfortable.

“I honestly can’t wait to get home.” Tessa said. “To our home.”

“I can’t wait to have you home.” Mariah added. “And as tempted as I was, I kept all of your stuff and didn’t burn anything.”

“I had wondered about that.” Tessa admitted.

“I had my moments.” Mariah laughed.

“I love you Mariah Copeland, let’s go home.” Tessa said as the driver slid into the front seat and headed for the airport.

It was the beginning of the rest of their life, and they both knew that they were lucky to be there in that moment…with each other…in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading this story and many of my others. I will be exclusively working on finishing Carnal Descent now. When I have completed the last two chapters of that story I will be starting my new multi-chapter AU "Love at the Con" about Mariah and Tessa meeting at the famous Clexacon Convention.


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